Housing role for commission spin-off

After the government announced in August that it would scrap the commission, staff have been drawing up plans to create a mutual company that will offer audit work in the same way as other private sector firms. A new ‘performance unit’, included within the company, will offer housing inspections.

Inspectors initially discussed setting up a separate, independent consultancy following the announcement, but have agreed to merge with the larger company when it is set up from March 2012.

Roger Jarman, head of housing at the Audit Commission, told Inside Housing: ‘Everything is still at a very early stage, but the plans for the mutual organisation are still going ahead. The vast majority of work that the new company will carry out will be audit, but housing will be part of a performance unit within that.’

The 33 housing inspection staff at the commission still do not know when their work will be wound up. They are waiting for a decision, due any time before Christmas, about when inspections under the current regime will cease.

The inspections programme for arm’s-length management organisations - seven for 2010/11 and another seven for 2011/12 - is due to run throughout 2011, but the Tenant Services Authority, which is also due to be scrapped, has not commissioned any new inspections of council housing departments or housing associations after December 2010.

The government published its plans for a new regulatory regime a fortnight ago. These include fewer inspections of social landlords, with the regulator acting as a ‘backstop’ over consumer complaints.

Other housing consultancies are also interested in running housing inspections. Greg Campbell, director of consultancy firm Campbell Tickell, said: ‘We have been talking to people generally about getting involved in housing inspections, but the reality is that the number of inspections will probably decrease from 50 to 60 a year to around 12, so we need to work out whether it is worthwhile.’