Debt finance sums are misleading
Your article Revealed: HRA winners and losers (Inside Housing, 1 April) reveals misleading figures from the law firm Trowers & Hamlins carrying out the analysis on Labour’s proposals to free councils from central government involvement in their housing finance.
SIGN IN TO ACCESS THIS CONTENT
You've reached your monthly limit for unrestricted access to Inside Housing content. To get free unrestricted access simply sign in below, or register your details.
Sign In
If you are already registered sign in for unrestricted access to alll the content on the site.
The analysis overstates the amount of the debt settlement, assuming, for instance, that councils will fail to use the proposed resourcing levels to build new council homes.
My statement to parliament and the consultation document set out the details of the self-financing deal. We have also published a spreadsheet on the department’s website which local authorities can use themselves (www.communities.gov.uk/housing/decenthomes/councilhousingfinance).
Officials from my department will meet any council that wishes to discuss the proposals in more detail, so no local authority need rely on the set of analysis and advice your article reports.
John Healey MP, housing minister