Print page
Regional Housing Boards
Regional Housing Boards (RHBs) were established as part of the Sustainable Communities Plan published in February 2003. This is to ensure that housing policies would be better integrated with the regional spatial, transport, economic and sustainable development strategies and to ensure delivery of the policies set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan.
Regional Housing Strategies produced by the RHBs identify key priorities in each region, ensure a link with regional economic and spatial strategies, identify sub-regional themes, and provide a basis on which decisions on housing capital investment can be made. The nine English regions produced their first Strategies in August 2003, and all up-dated them in 2005 (East Midlands up-dated its Strategy in 2004).
Regional Assemblies
RHBs were responsible for their production until September 2006, when responsibility passed to the Regional Assemblies who accepted Ministers' invitation (post-Barker Review) to take responsibility for the work of the RHBs and thereby build on the synergies of their work as Regional Planning Bodies and in London this passed to the Mayor - www.london.gov.uk.
The Regional Assemblies and the Mayor of London will determine when the next up-dates are necessary. Both are closely supported by the Housing Corporation, English Partnerships, the Regional Developments Agencies, and the relevant Government Office.
Regional Housing Strategies are non-statutory documents: they belong to the region and are not approved or signed-off by Ministers.
Housing Strategy
In July 2006 Ruth Kelly, then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (CLG), announced proposed powers for the Mayor of London, including powers to prepare and publish a statutory London Housing Strategy. Statutory consultation with the London Assembly and functional bodies on the draft Mayor’s Housing Strategy, published by the Mayor in September 2007 has taken place and further statutory consultation with the public will start in May 2008. Although the content will vary, each Regional Housing Strategy should aim to:
- set out a picture of the current housing situation across the region
- be based on robust up-to-date evidence
- cover all tenures - not just social housing
- set out a vision for the region
- set out priorities for action
- cover the medium to long-term
- identify sub-regions based on housing markets
- show clear links to the Regional Spatial and Economic.
The Strategies also provided the basis on which the RHBs made recommendations to Ministers on how £10 bn of housing capital investment in new social housing, low cost home ownership products and improvements to existing stock (both social housing and housing occupied by vulnerable people) should be targeted (the single Regional Housing Pot). On the basis of that advice for 2008-11 £10.4 bn was allocated by CLG for regional housing capital programmes on 12 December 2007.
Following the publication of the Sub National Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration Review (SNR) in July 2007 Government is working towards the introduction of legislation at the earliest opportunity that would:
- Designate Regional Development Agencies (outside London) as regional planning and housing bodies
- Set out the principles underpinning a new integrated regional strategy.
A consultation in early 2008 is expected to provide more details of the wider context for proposed reforms, in particular proposals and options on:
- How to take forward the second round of regional funding allocations, including the proposed timetable and funding streams to be included
- The role of the Homes and Communities Agency in delivering SNR reforms
- Options for the future of regional housing boards.
