Healey: freedoms for councils within a month

Interview: a man with an easy manner

John Healey did his best to settle nerves when he sat down with Inside Housing this week for his first interview as housing minister.

The big question has been: how will the government reform council housing finance? Less than a fortnight into the job, Mr Healey wasn’t prepared to shed much light on the subject. ‘I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do,’ he said with a smile.

But when pushed he revealed that the sector is unlikely to have much longer to wait, confirming that he wants details of reform out within the month.

The third housing minister within a year may not have long to prove himself, but at least his last job (as local government minister) and easy-yet-considered manner set him in good stead.

Most likely to be of immediate interest is Mr Healey’s suggestion that council housing departments will be given more freedoms, but only if they take more responsibility for house building themselves. ‘My argument is that for councils simply to use the alibi that the government isn’t giving them all the money they might need is not good enough,’ he said. ‘Local government could do more than it is already doing. When we make the reforms that I pointed to in my speech they’ll be able to do more still.’

Should councils take talk of underused resources as a warning to expect watered-down freedoms once the HRA review final emerges? ‘No, you shouldn’t read anything into that,’ came the minister’s reply.

And then he’s again. Next stop: Harrogate Citizens Advice bureau to do ‘everything we can’ to help people remain in their homes.