Insecurity and ambition

The dreaded word "privatisation" is not so much a myth but a tormenting demon that has to be continually rationalised in the hope that it will be expunged from the housing professional's pyche (Stephen Duckworth, 16 January, page 23).

I suspect the torment does not lie in the organisational sense of the private-public divide but in the insecure private ambitions of the hierarchy at the NHF; hence the need to overstate housing association completions for the last 15 years – by my estimation, it is nearer 300,000 than 400,000. But what's 100,000 dwellings when housing associations' efforts to fulfil their government-appointed role to address housing need have been so pitiful?

The NHF's support for large-scale voluntary transfer has always been driven by a need to expand their percentage of housing tenure in a vain hope that the economies of scale achieved would enable them to equal the performance of local authorities in construction of general needs housing.

The history of housing associations over the last 150 years and in the present day would indicate otherwise. Moreover, it is clear that a large proportion do not wish to participate in this strategy, wishing to remain providing a specific service in a specific locality.

This irritating tendency was no doubt partly responsible for the NHF's decision to embark on its ridiculous rebranding exercise.

The mentality of "housing associations – good, councils – bad" is at the heart of Britain's current affordable housing problem.