Shelter's league table is flawed
Shelter’s Housing League Table certainly seems to have upset a lot of councils (Inside Housing, 19 March). I, for one, believe the approach Shelter adopted is flawed. Relying on housing register information, even when the figures are taken from approved council documents, is not the way to proceed.
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Of the 2,895 people registered for housing in the Derbyshire Dales, 47.7per cent have been assessed as having no housing need - just a desire to move to social rented accommodation. We offer an open housing register which means anyone can register. We do not exclude applicants because they do not have housing need or because they live outside the local authority area. Allowing all applicants to register gives the council the opportunity to assess need and offer solutions across all tenures.
The most reliable information on housing need comes from district and parish housing needs surveys, often used to support new development opportunities. Any housing development officer will know that to support a scheme in a rural area you use a local survey and only use the register after carefully analysing the information it holds.
Perhaps Shelter should look at the approach the National Housing Federation has adopted in its Save Our Villages campaign. This is a well thought out approach to working with rural councils, helping to share best practice and encourage the development of good local housing needs information. Taking a new public management approach with a league table using flawed information is not going to help anyone.
Rob Cogings, head of housing, Derbyshire Dales Council