Claire Astbury, External Affairs Manager

April 2016

New Board Member

presentation

Contents

• Home ownership

democracy

• Legislation

• Voluntary Right to

Buy

• Income

• Reclassification

• Owning Our Future

• Devolution

Homeownership democracy

‘We are the builders’

Government want to build 1 million homes by 2020

• £4bn funding for 135,000 shared ownership homes

• £2.3bn for 200,000 Starter Homes

• Funding for 100,000 affordable rented homes

• Public land to be released for more than 160,000

homes

• Direct commissioning of homes

Legislation

Legislation

Housing and Planning Bill

• receive assent in

June/July (?) progressing

slowly through the lords

• more amendments

expected

Welfare Reform and Work

Bill - receive assent in

April/May

Voluntary Right to Buy

VRTB: Key principles of the

scheme

• Applies to tenants living in social or affordable

homes

• HA discretion to refuse a sale

• Sales at open market value. HAs will be fully

compensated (70% and then 30%)

• Where a HA refuses a sale they will work with

the tenant to secure an alternative

VRTB: Timetable

September 2015

Launch of the Voluntary Right to Buy DealOctober

2015 Member sign up

October - November2015

Member engagement and

sign up.

December – March 2016

Sounding Board, working group meetings and

workshops

April? - Royal Assent of Housing &

Planning Bill and Steering group

confirms recommendations

April – June 2016 Sounding Board final discussions with a indicative

go-live late summer

VRTB pilots

• Five VRTB pilots

• Eligibility set at 10 years

• Sales capped at 600 across the pilot

• Will test key elements of the sales process and

demand. Will not test portability or replacement

• No sales until the housing and planning bill has

royal assent

• Action research to accompany the pilots to

ensure lessons learnt

Ways to be involved / know more

• Email righttobuy@housing.org to express

interest in the workshops

• Fortnightly RtB newsletter

• Website

http://www.housing.org.uk/topics/asset-

management/right-to-buy/

Income

It started with the July Budget…

Rent reduction – 1%

… then came the Autumn

Statement

Impact on supported & sheltered

housing

41%

24% 60,000

£68

9,270

1,256

£85

LHA - Supported and sheltered

• Exempt for 1 year from LHA, from -1% and

from 10% tolerance removal for new lets

• Future income uncertain – working in

developing a new model

• Govt review to be published April (?)

• Review will lead to new review on funding - new

‘solution’ out for consultation before summer

recess

• Shared room rate for under 35’s also a major

concern – makes this group too poor for social

housing.

LHA cap

We think that the LHA cap should

only be applied to those of working

age in general needs housing with

exemptions for the most vulnerable

under 35s from the Shared

Accommodation Rate

Reclassification

Reclassification

“We will bring forward measures that

seek to allow housing associations to

become private sector bodies again

as soon as possible.”

Deregulation of social housing

• Removal property disposals consent regime

• Abolition of disposal proceeds for future sales

• Removal of need for HCA consent for mergers,

acquisitions and restructures

• Modification of HCA powers to appoint and

remove managers

• Introduction new special administration regime

• Pay to stay voluntary

• LSVTs – abolish golden share and council

nominees

Great unknowns….

Brexit

• Housing market

• Political fall out

• Labour/materials

Economic downturn –

impact of global change

What could the future look like?

• Deregulation

• Shared resources

• Shared procurement

• Mergers

• Diversification

• Deregistration

• Charitable organisations

• Reasserting mission/social purpose

Sector Image review update:

Owning our Future

• Weber Shandwick was tasked

with conducting an audit of

political opinion of housing

associations and their role in

the housing sector.

• In total we conducted 52

interviews, with a primary

focus on a Conservative

political audience, but also

rounded out with an audit of

opinion in Labour circles and

with thinktanks and media. The

Federation also carried out

public polling.

Thoughts about the sector

1. The housing association sector currently does

not have any instinctive political allies

2. There is a sense that the sector is bad at

defining itself – but other people are filling the

gaps and defining the sector for themselves

3. All groups see increasing housing supply as the

prime function of housing associations

4. Conservatives place greater emphasis on

housing associations focusing on home

ownership – but not necessarily to the detriment

of other tenure

Thoughts about the sector

5. Those who interacted with housing

associations tended to appreciate the sector’s

contribution more

6. There is a perception of poor performance in

the sector – even despite positive personal

experiences

7. Every interviewee saw the sector continuing to

play a role in meeting housing need in the UK.

Biggest risk - the government?

Thank Tank and Media

Media were perhaps the most critical group, either

criticising the conduct of the sector, or a lack of

engagement from the sector.

February – Perceptions audit completed and Owning our Future launched

March – Findings of perceptions audit discussed at Federation and member groups

April-June – Owning our Future member roadshows across the country

July – Influencing Academy launched

September – Housing Week kicks off phase 2 of the strategy – a sector-wide influencing

and communications strategy to reposition the sector

What next - key dates

Devolution

A Mayor for East Anglia?

£175m Housing investment

£30m p/a for 30 years

infrastructure investment

Political buy in not secured

Andrew Lansley 3/1

Devolution

A Mayor for East Anglia?

£175m Housing investment

£30m p/a for 30 years

infrastructure investment

Political buy in not secured

Alan Partridge 100/1

Devolution

Other deals:

Essex progressing fast (but not all authorities on

board)

Hertfordshire – some initial conversations

Bedfordshire – nothing on the table

Devolution

Devolution activity

• Support members to co-ordinate their approach

• Position housing associations as delivery partners

• Monitor political progress and lobby at mayoral

elections

Contact

Claire Astbury,

External Affairs Manager, East of England

National Housing Federation

Twitter: @ClaireJAstbury