Call for councils to have more involvement in housing markets

Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has called for improvements in the dialogue between local authorities, registered providers, and other stakeholders with a role in the local housing market, and for all partners to build better knowledge and understanding of the market across all tenures.

Following extensive discussions about local authorities' strategic housing role, CIH has presented current issues and concerns in a new report: The local authority role in housing markets.

The report highlights the crucial role of councils due to the introduction of affordable rents and fixed term tenancies; the need for a whole-market approach; and the need for this approach to be both holistic and engaging. It also stresses that local authorities and their partners must start work on tenure strategies regardless of any legal requirement to have one, to create a framework for organisations' investment and housing management decisions.

The report highlights concerns that local authorities are insufficiently involved with proposals for affordable rent and fixed term tenancies in their areas, and that pressures to deliver new homes in the short term are acting against focus on longer term sustainability. It also draws attention to current opportunities to think again about what local authorities and their partners are trying to achieve, and how this is now possible within the new policy and financial environment.

Sarah Webb, CIH chief executive, said, "It's absolutely crucial that local authorities, registered providers, and commercial developers get talking about the local housing market and start planning for the future now. Many organisations are making big changes in the way they work in response to the new policy, funding and economic environment. The decisions taken now will impact on housing markets and communities for generations to come, and so they need to be well informed, understood by all partners, and coordinated at local level."

The new report is available at: http://www.cih.org/policy/free-publications.htm.