Sheffield Hallam University's comprehensive nationwide analysis of the 1998 Housing Investment Programme returns found participation least established in the East Midlands and the east of England.
The researchers, led by Professor Ian Cole, found that fourteen per cent of authorities nationwide do not even have a tenants' association.
Performance differs markedly between authorities which are struggling to implement the government's new tenant compacts in time for Best Value.
Significantly, despite the new regime coming on stream in less than two months few councils were judged to have established monitoring, evaluating and reviewing their tenant participation performance.
Urban authorities were found to be more advanced than their rural counterparts, it emerged. Participation is most advanced in London, with the north west, south east and west midlands not far behind.
Nationally, tenants are most likely to participate in decisions about individual home improvements (73 per cent) or estate improvements (59 per cent). There is at least one tenants' association in 86 per cent of council areas, while 53 per cent have a tenants' federation.
Research fellow Paul Hickman said there was a need for councils to review and evaluate tenant participation under Best Value. "This issue will become increasingly important as the agenda on participation continues to unravel in the months ahead," he added. This echoes previous warnings from the report team (Housing Today, 10 June, 1999).
Tenant Participation Advisory Service policy officer Paul Schofield said the report, due to be launched on Monday, painted an accurate picture of how far authorities are from a culture of genuine tenant participation.
"I think it actually underlines something that we have discovered ourselves through talking to hundreds of authorities going down the compacts process who have found it is quite a sobering time," he said. "It is dawning on most authorities that they haven't done nearly enough."
Source
Housing Today
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