Housing Corporation News Release

Wednesday 23 July 2008                        Ref: 56/08

How to stay up to date: the focus of Housing Corporation report on smaller housing associations

With small housing associations (associations with up to 1,000 homes) making up 78% of all providers of social housing, and over 1,300 of them registered with the Housing Corporation, the report set out to uncover whether the needs for support and guidance of small associations are being met.

The research, commissioned by the Housing Corporation and undertaken by Campbell Tickell, makes many recommendations and also identifies key areas associations believe need addressing.

The key recommendations in the report focus on:

• strengthening governance;  
• access to support and guidance; and
• partnership working and capacity building.

To strengthen governance the report suggests a range of ways associations can ensure a strong and experienced board; for access to support and guidance, the research concludes that smaller associations need more mechanisms to receive information; and to increase partnership working and capacity building, the document says the new regulator and agency, to be set up in early December, must act on current tools and develop them further.

Housing Corporation Chief Executive Steve Douglas said, “In the new emerging business environment for housing, action is needed with smaller associations in each of the recommended areas to ensure these organisations continue to be effective in meeting the diverse needs of the communities they currently serve.”

The key areas associations said they need the most help with are:

• keeping up-to-date with legislation;
• complying with regulatory requirements;
• board recruitment and retention;
• training;
• measuring performance; and
• good practice generally.

Greenoak Housing Association Chief Executive Office Diana Kingdon said, “The report is excellent news as it provides an opportunity for smaller housing associations to access information more easily from a variety of sources. This will enable them to keep up to date with all the latest information so that they can operate efficiently and keep up with changes in legislation and good practice. It will also help to ensure tenants receive the best possible service.”

Campbell Tickell’s Radojka Miljevic said, “Peer networks, both informal and formal, provide a highly effective source of support and guidance. Making connections is essential for small associations wishing to overcome any barriers associated with their size.” 

The full report and leaflets summarising the research and signposting associations to useful websites are now available on the Housing Corporation website.

Ends.

For more press information please contact Terry Sefton on 020 7393 2118.

Notes to editors

1) Members of the research team engaged with an advisory board of representatives from a wide range of organisations, and utilised the following research methods:

• Meetings with key stakeholders from the housing sector;
• A postal survey to 1,681 small associations (with 304 survey returns) to examine respondents’ views on which of their activities require support, the areas in which they have a requirement for additional help, how they rate the usefulness of various sources of advice and guidance, and where they perceive there to be gaps or barriers;
• 56 semi-structured interviews (and a small number of briefer interviews), with senior staff from small associations; and
• three focus groups held in Exeter, London and Liverpool.

2) The Housing Corporation is responsible for regulating housing associations, which provide some two million homes across England.

3) The Housing Corporation is the Government's national affordable homes agency, responsible for investing in new affordable homes and regulating nearly 2,000 housing associations across England. The Corporation's £8.4 billion investment programme for 2008-11 is its biggest ever. Its previous investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 funded 92,752 homes; 52,929 of these for affordable rent, and 39,823 for affordable sale through the Government's HomeBuy initiatives, helping people to get a foot on the property ladder.

4) The Housing Corporation is working with English Partnerships and Communities and Local Government to establish the proposed Homes and Communities Agency and Tenant Services Authority by early December.