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From the archive - week of 5 June

Inside Housing looks back at what was happening in the sector this week five, 15 and 25 years ago

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25 years ago

 

In a move thought to be the first of its kind, a district council merged with a Hampshire housing association, creating a new organisation. Hangras Housing Association came into being following the appointment of 13 nominees of East Hampshire District Council to the board of Petersfield Community Housing Association.

 

The new organisation revealed ambitious plans to build its stock to 1,000 homes over the following decade through both new build and transfer from the council. Around 250 council homes were expected to be transferred to Hangras immediately.

 

Margaret Newbigin, development manager at East Hampshire District Council, said Hangras would use council housing, money and land to boost development. The housing association would also bid for grant and negotiate private finance.


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Inside Housing this week in June 1992
Inside Housing this week in June 1992

15 years ago

 

Councils that were reluctant to transfer their housing stock saw their hopes of a government rescue dashed following the publication of the draft Local Government Bill.

 

Former local government secretary Stephen Byers had previously suggested that the rules could be rewritten to allow councils unwilling or unable to carry out a transfer to borrow more to meet their decent homes target.

 

However, the draft bill included provision for prudential borrowing powers that matched those included in the previous December’s White Paper. The rules in that paper would stop metropolitan councils with large debts from raising enough money for an alternative to stock transfer or arm’s-length management.

 

The bill allowed local authorities to borrow against their Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs). Local government minister Nick Raynsford told Inside Housing the bill would give councils “far greater freedoms and flexibilities”, and “help [them] meet the decent homes target”.

 

Other proposals included changing the HRA into a straightforward landlord account, and removing the rent rebates from the HRA.

 

 

Five years ago

 

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it would not prosecute Southwark Council for manslaughter over the Lakanal House tower block fire. The CPS said it had made the decision because there was “no realistic prospect of conviction” in the case. But a former director at the Chief Fire Officers Association warned that fire safety laws would be undermined if there were no prosecutions over the fire, which killed six people in 2009.

 

Iain Cox said: “I am concerned its decision to not prosecute does undermine the [2005 Fire Safety] order. It’s disappointing that [the case is] so complex we haven’t been able to hold the key people to account.” The fire broke out on the ninth floor of the 14-storey council-owned building.

 

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