Bill reforms fail to satisfy associations

Housing associations have warned that too much state control of housing associations still lurks in the housing bill - despite the government tabling a raft of amendments.

The National Housing Federation vociferously campaigned against the original wording of the Housing and Regeneration Bill, which gave the secretary of state the power to set standards imposed by new regulator Oftenant. The federation warned this would threaten associations' independence.

Communities secretary Hazel Blears this week published a set of concessions, in preparation for the report stage of the bill on Monday. This included a clause requiring the regulator to 'have regard to the desirability of registered providers being free to choose how to provide services and conduct business'.

The minister has also tabled a clause requiring the regulator to consult the Charity Commission before setting standards for charities.

Under the proposed rewording the government will only be able to set standards for associations which relate to the quality of accommodation, rent or involvement by tenants in housing management. But Ruth Davison, director of campaigns and neighbourhoods at the NHF, said the amendments did not go far enough.

'We are still concerned about the level of state control laid out in the bill, the lack of a level playing field between profitmaking and non-profit providers, and the regulation of associations' community activity,' she said. 'Housing associations should first be accountable to their boards, customers and communities and not the regulator. This bill still doesn't do that.'

Other groups wanting changes to the bill at report stage include the National Federation of Arm's-length Management Organisations.

Amendments tabled by MP Clive Betts on its behalf would enable ALMOs to be brought under the regulator immediately. It also wants the bill to specifically state that all tenants - whether they have a local authority or housing association landlord - have the power to trigger a change of management.

NFA policy officer Gwyneth Taylor said the changes would encourage highperforming ALMOs' aspirations to take on the management of housing association stock. 'It's vitally important for us to have a regulatory system that applies across the piece, because otherwise we could find ourselves in a nightmare scenario of different regulatory bodies managing different parts of the stock. It would be an absolute mess.'

The Commons' council housing group has proposed four amendments to enable councils to build again, bid directly for social housing grant and be subject to a code of practice to govern their consultations with tenants on stock transfer.

The group also argues that junior housing minister Iain Wright's recent amendment to the controversial clause 68c on eligibility rules for social housing is still too ambiguous. It wants the bill's definition of social housing to be changed to housing that is 'affordable to those on low incomes', rather than 'available to people whose needs are not adequately served by the commercial housing market'.