HRA reform is ‘biggest change for a generation’ says housing chief

The proposed reforms to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), currently being considered by new Housing Minister Grant Shapps, will be a huge boost to council housing according to Steve Partridge, director of financial policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Partidge, who is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Housing Panel, will be a main speaker at the CIPFA Local Government Capital Finance Conference on London on Thursday 24 June.

Also speaking at the conference will be Paul Woods, director of Finance at Newcastle City Council, who will be addressing the impact of the recession on council capital receipts. Those receipts have gone down from £4 billion in 2007-08 to just £1.7 billion last year.

He will tell the conference that while the fall in property prices has led to a near 60% reduction in property disposals, some councils are taking the opportunity to acquire assets which will generate an income in the future. He will also discuss the likely impact of a probable government target for property sales and a reduction in running costs.

Other speakers will include Tony Travers of the London School of Economics on the post-election political landscape and Will Tuckley, chief executive of the London Borough of Bexley who will the potential for maintaining local infrastructure and service delivery.

The CIPFA Local Government Capital Finance Conference will be held at the Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, Scarsdale Place, Kensington W8 5SR