Shapps 'troubled' by TSA
The Conservative shadow housing minister has said he is ‘troubled’ by the housing sector’s regulator.
Speaking at the National Housing Federation’s annual conference, Grant Shapps said he was not convinced that setting up a new regulator was the best way to safeguard tenants’ interests.
He said: ‘I know housing associations care passionately for tenants… I am not sure setting up an administrative bureaucracy to care for tenants is the best possible solution so I am slightly sceptical but no decisions have been made.’
He added that the Tenant Services Authority and the Homes and Communities Agency had a network of offices but did not always share premises, which could save money.
He continued: ‘Every quango will have to look very carefully at the way it works. The HCA spent £4.5 million a month on staff salaries and has offices around the country. The TSA by and large does not share those offices.’
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Readers' comments (6)
Dave Hollins | 25/09/2009 1:03 pm
Once again Grant Shapps shows his ignorance of housing and a lack of interest in tenants. A few housing associations might "care passionately for tenants" and some have a fantastic record but far too many in my experience care passionately about their finances and senior officers' salaries first and tenants second. The TSA, to its eternal credit, is promising a much better deal for tenants from dodgy landlords who seem to like the rent but not the people who pay it.
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Karen | 25/09/2009 5:57 pm
I think its worth remembering that the TSA is just a rebranded Housing Corp minus the HCA side.
In the national conversation they spoke to a tiny proportion of tenants and from that have decided what ALL tenants want.
I'd be more impressed if they set up local groups to identify and really TALK to local residents rather than coming up with sweeping demands which most tenants wont want anyway.
I don't know about all HA's but we constantly try and get tenants involved in our many specific focus groups but a lot really just want to live in their homes and not have more to do with landlords. And their wishes are just as important.
Tailor the services for what the RSL's tenants WANT.
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Jim Paton | 26/09/2009 4:30 pm
Precisely, Dave.
It will be a very grim day for tenants if this idiot ever has ministerial responsibility for housing. Not only does he know nowt, but he apparently isn't interested in learning.
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Emmerson Walgrove | 27/09/2009 11:14 am
Grant Shapps MP The Conservative shadow housing minister is right why we need another quango in the form of the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) which does nothing and do not even share office space with Homes and Communities Agency who the TSA should be working closely with.
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B.S. Townroe | 28/09/2009 9:05 am
Another fine display of Tory policy and all its hidden shallows. There's no consideration of what needs to be done or whether a particular agency is actually delivering appropriate services, simply the use of pejorative nomenclature. Are tenants able to live in a decent home in an area of their choice? Who cares?! The real issue is whether a couple of agencies, mostly made up of people who were doing the same job under a different banner less than a year ago, share a fax machine. Pathetic.
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Dave Hollins | 28/09/2009 6:00 pm
The Housing Corporation was hopeless about consulting tenants and even more hopeless at getting housing associations to talk to tenants properly. It was the big landlords' club. The TSA has done more in a year than its predecessor ever did and at least the language that comes out of the TSA is refreshing. I suspect the conversation was the biggest consultation ever held with tenants. The TSA is hardly perfect but we should encourage those going in the right direction and criticise those going in the wrong direction like the National Housing Federation who seem to think landlords are so perfect that they should be left to their own devices. We need saving from arrogant housing association chief executives!
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