Written evidence to be reported to the House
Housing and Regeneration Bill
11:15 am
Nick Day: On reflection, we may not have expressed that point in the best possible way in our evidence. I return to the fact that there are obviously many occasions and examples of excellent working relationships between local authorities and RSLs, and I certainly echo the comments that we do not want big regulation or lots of draconian interventions. However, we are concerned about circumstances in which the relationships between local authorities and RSLs are not so good. There are issues in London with many RSLs having stock in various different boroughs, which can involve quite small numbers. There can be up to 80 RSLs operating in one borough, many of which will have a stock of perhaps 10. The question is how to take a strategic response to local needs in those circumstances.
While the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 was progressing through Parliament, we put through an amendment that was not taken up. It was about putting RSLs on the same platform as the partner authorities in the 2007 Act; if a notice were served by a local authority for them to come to an overview and scrutiny committee, they would have to respond. That would be a way of trying to engage RSLs locally, where the relationship may not be working so well.
So, in our draft, which I feel may not have been very well put together, there is a desire for some form of leverage that local authorities can use with RSLs. Local authorities had a lever in the former arrangements for the financial allocation of resources, which has been lost. We need to think about how we can ensure that local priorities are recognised and that there is engagement.
I have since picked up in the Bill that RSLs have a duty to co-operate, if they are asked to help in the development or modification of a sustainable community strategy. The question then is what about the next stage, which is implementation. There are things there that we may seek to strengthen in the local authority’s role.