Voluntary code for a self-financed Housing Revenue Account

Posted on: 17 October 2013
By: mackene
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The introduction of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) self-financing has given local authorities the freedom to develop and deliver a more positive, less constrained, vision for council housing. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the Chartered Institute of Housing believe that it is vital that local authorities have effective governance and financial management frameworks in place in order for self-financing to be a success. In order to support local authorities in assessing and developing these frameworks the two institutes have worked together to produce a voluntary code of practice for the sector.

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Testing DWP’s assessment of the impact of the social rented sector size criterion on housing benefit costs and other factors

Posted on: 15 October 2013
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Collaborative research carried out by university and social landlord has found the Department of Work and Pensions may have significantly over-estimated the savings from the bedroom tax. The aims of this report are to explore: the extent to which key assumptions about claimant behaviour underlying the DWP’s final impact assessment of June 2012 are reflected in real data available from housing organisations since 1^st April 2013, and the extent to which the DWP model contains all of the main factors likely to influence the level of Housing Benefit savings from the policy. It also discusses whether any other costs should be taken into account in assessing the overall cost impact of the policy.

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Providing social housing for local people: Strengthening statutory guidance on social housing allocations

Posted on: 15 October 2013
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This document consults on proposals to issue new statutory guidance on social housing allocations for local authorities in England, to assist them to use the allocation flexibilities in the Localism Act 2011 to meet the needs of local residents and local communities; and to encourage them to be open and transparent about who is applying for and being allocated social housing in their local area. Comments requested by 22 November 2013.

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London’s poverty profile 2013

Posted on: 14 October 2013
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This latest report uses the most recent government data to consider London’s progress on key indicators since the last report in 2011 and over the last decade. It incorporates new information on longer term trends, including analysis of data from the Census 2011, as well as new indicators on welfare reform. It includes a chapter on housing and homelessness.

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More than markets: Mutual & co-operative housing in the UK

Posted on: 14 October 2013
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This report explores mutual and co-operative housing in the UK. Bringing together data sources about Housing Co-operatives and Mutuals, Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs), and Community Gateways and Community Mutuals, under the banner of resident-controlled housing for the first time, the report investigates and maps these diverse organisations across the country. The report not only concludes that mutual and co-operative housing is diverse in terms of scale, management, organisational objectives, history and location but also that its scale is greater than previous studies acknowledge. It also reveals that co-operative housing has a major role to play in the evolving mutual economy in the UK and offers social housing an alternative vision to more than marketisation and creeping commercialisation.

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Social housing sales in England: 2012 to 2013

Posted on: 11 October 2013
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This statistical release presents national statistics on the number of sales of existing social housing stock in England for 2012 to 2013. It is different to its ‘sister publication’ Right to Buy sales in England as this publication includes information on sales by local authorities and private registered providers – not just local authorities, includes other schemes and types of sale than the Right to Buy scheme and contains annual rather than quarterly statistics.

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Re-energising the green agenda

Posted on: 10 October 2013
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A report published by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment has criticized the green deal saying it is ‘unattractive’ and ‘uncompetitive’. It also recommends a consultation exercise on a green deal for social landlords.

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Private rented housing: A manifesto for growth

Posted on: 9 October 2013
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The Residential Landlords’ Association’s (RLA) fringe event at the 2013 Conservative Party Conference in Manchester dealt with the issue of promoting a manifesto for growth in the private rented sector. Speakers included: Rt. Hon. John Redwood MP, chairman of the Conservative Economic Affairs Committee; Alex Morton, head of housing, planning and urban policy at Policy Exchange; and, Alan Ward, chairman of the RLA. A video of the event is available online. A video of the RLA fringe event at the Labour Party 2013 conference is also available here.

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Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme

Posted on: 9 October 2013
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The Government has launched phase 2 of its Help to Buy scheme, confirming the final scheme rules including the level of the commercial fee the lenders will be charged.

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Under-occupation of social housing: Housing Benefit entitlement

Posted on: 9 October 2013
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This note from the House of Commons Library provides information on under-occupation in the social rented sector, summarises evidence of the impact of Housing Benefit deductions and responses by landlords and tenants.

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