Housing Executive faces axe

In its manifesto, launched last week, the party said it would examine the scope for creating a strategic housing authority and a separate body that would be responsible for the executive’s landlord function and possibly also development functions. It said this could free up £3 billion of assets held by the NIHE.

It is unlikely that the DUP, which currently holds the most seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, would be able to push the change through quickly, as it would likely require primary legislation.

Sinn Féin, the party with the second largest number of seats in the assembly, said it would launch a National Housing Agency, which would co-ordinate all aspects of housing provision in Northern Ireland.

The Welsh Labour party and Plaid Cymru, which currently run the Welsh Assembly Government in a coalition, agree Wales should have devolved powers over housing.

A request for wide-ranging legislative powers failed early this month because parliament was dissolved before it had been considered. It ran out of time after the Conservative Party objected to the control such powers would give the assembly over the right to buy.

The Conservatives have also made right to buy an issue in Scotland and pledged to reverse Scottish National Party moves to restrict it.

The SNP pledged to push ahead with a National Housing Trust designed to ‘provide thousands of new affordable homes to rent’.

The Scottish Labour manifesto promised to help people get on the housing ladder and make homes greener.

A survey of housing providers by the Chartered Institute of Housing’s election panel revealed that they think providing new affordable housing should be the next government’s top priority.