Prescott and McCarthy defend plan to axe regional housing boards

At a briefing on Tuesday to promote January’s sustainable communities summit, the deputy prime minister and senior ODPM officials hit back at criticism of the plan to transfer the boards’ responsibilities to regional assemblies (HT 10 September, page 7).

Prescott said: “Transferring powers from the regional housing boards to the assemblies has been criticised but we think it is quite important as part of the bigger move to devolve decision-making powers on transport and planning to the regions.”

At the same event, Richard McCarthy, ODPM director general for sustainable communities, said: “People shouldn’t be surprised that we are giving regional assemblies the responsibility for producing regional housing strategies. Assemblies are democratically accountable whereas boards are not.

“It is absolutely not the case that regional housing boards ceasing to exist will mean the momentum that has been gained in the last year will be lost.

“Key stakeholders will still be involved and we fully believe that this step will get a better result for the housing sector overall.”

The rebuttal came in the same week that the Chartered Institute of Housing published a report that called for “housing to have a separate voice” from planning as part of the proposed move to regional assemblies.

Also at the briefing, Prescott offered hope to the Oldham Rochdale pathfinder that the Metrolink extension would go ahead despite funding having been withdrawn (HT 30 July, page 7). It was one of several comments on policy that he made.

Read the report at www.cih.org