I don’t want readers to get the wrong impression from the article “Corporation unveils £3.32bn grant allocation” (26 March, page 7): the Housing Corporation has not been arguing with ODPM officials for the past four months, but working closely with them.

The issue is about cash flow, not about principle. We always over-programme to ensure that the approved development programme is fully spent – as it has been yet again for 2003/4. We fully expect to be able to accommodate the results of a bid round open to non-registered social landlords for an extra £200m to be committed and spent in 2005/6.

We are working up proposals and expect considerable interest and some creative ideas to maximise effective procurement.

Source

Housing Today

Postscript

Peter Dixon, chairman, Housing Corporation