Clause 55
Housing and Regeneration Bill
1:30 pm
Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government; Hartlepool, Labour)
Let me take this opportunity to update hon. Members on the smooth transition from the existing bodies to the new arrangements. I have to pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich, who has been articulate in expressing concerns that the new Homes and Communities Agency should hit the ground running to help achieve the ambitious target of 3 million new homes by 2020. It is pertinent and relevant to update the Committee on where we are with regard to that.
I should like to mention the work that is currently being carried out by the agency’s project board, which will be chaired by Sir Bob Kerslake. The work to date has identified three key work strands that will need to be delivered if the agency is to be established and become operational by April 2009. The first is organisational design and development; the second is the investment plan and finance; and the third is interventions, policy and stakeholders.
I am happy to provide Committee members with copies of a letter that Sir Bob Kerslake has sent to English Partnerships and Housing Corporation staff in the last few days, but I thought that it would reassure them if I cited it. Sir Bob states:
“I am personally delighted to have had confirmation of such an important transfer of delivery functions from CLG, including major new initiatives such as the delivery of the growth areas. This will underline the importance of the HCA as local government’s best delivery partner”—
he uses an important phrase there—
“able to bring together all of the strands of housing and regeneration delivery in powerful packages in support of local authority plans.”
I stressed that myself. With specific reference to the clause, Sir Bob says:
“As I mentioned in my last letter, I am creating a dedicated set up team to oversee the creation of the new Agency. This will be led by Trevor Beattie, currently Corporate Strategy Director of English Partnerships, who will be responsible for a small team of about a dozen headed up by Margaret Allen, currently the Housing Corporation’s Field Director Central, and Ros Dunn, a senior member of CLG who was formerly Director of Strategy for the Thames Gateway.”
I am more than happy to provide Committee members with a copy of Sir Bob’s letter. I hope that it reassures them that work is ongoing and that Sir Bob has hit the ground running in ensuring that the agency starts delivering as soon as possible.