HQN - MEMBERS' SERVICES - Network briefings

Here you will find our expert commentaries on goverment policy and legislation, best practice in housing, inspection and performance improvement. They are shown in date order, the most recent first.

1 July 2008

The government response to Our Shared Future: recommendations on community cohesion for social housing providers

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager highlights those parts of the government response that have particular significance for social housing providers

23 June 2008

Preparing Britain for the future: The government’s draft legislative agenda 2008/09

Network briefing by Gwyneth Taylor which considers the Bills in the draft programme relevant to the social housing sector

10 June 2008

Tackling overcrowding

Network briefing paper by Wendy Murphy examines the actions being taken by the five pilot London boroughs, and others, to tackle overcrowding

3 June 2008

The role of housing associations in Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships

Network briefing by Tim Horsley looks at the roles now expected of HAs, the methods they can use to fulfil them, and what more a CDRP can offer than just a quarterly meeting of partners

13 May 2008

Three stars for equality and diversity: lessons from recent inspections

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager highlighting good practice and areas of weakness identified in recent inspection reports

15 April 2008

Financial inclusion

Network briefing by Chloe Fletcher outlines good practice and explores the issues raised by financial inclusion

8 April 2008

The Independent Living Strategy

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager explores the Independent Living Strategy and its impact for service providers

3 April 2008

Disabled Facilities Grant reform - the package of changes

SEN briefing by Vanessa Morton highlights key issues and areas where action is needed to improve disabled people’s ability to access independent living, and sustain it. It draws attention to the national agendas and direction of travel, and provides examples of different perspectives and good practice

28 March 2008

Don’t miss out, Part 2 - supported and sheltered housing policy and practice

Network briefing by Wendy Hayhurst, we have focused on two publications; Review of Sheltered Housing in Scotland and Supporting People: Costs and Benefits (final report)

27 March 2008

Disabled Facilities Grant reform - the package of changes

25 March 2008

Equality and diversity - New guidance from the Housing Corporation

Network briefing, by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager, describes the scope of the new guidance as well as its limitations

26 February 2008

The Big Picture

Network briefing by Chloe Fletcher highlights the main policy changes over the past year and outlines what it will mean for housing providers in the coming few years

22 February 2008

Don’t miss out, Part 1 – housing policy and practice

Network briefing by Wendy Hayhurst focussing on three publications; an evaluation of LA antisocial neighbour noise nuisance services, the impact of local ASB strategies at the neighbourhood level and tensions between allocations policy and practice

18 February 2008

HQN briefing series – ASB questions and answers

Network briefing by Wendy Hayhurst and Natalie Pace provides responses to the most popular and topical questions posed by Housing Quality Network members during late 2007

12 February 2008

Analysis of local authority housing management performance 2006/07

HQN’s annual analysis by Professor Hal Pawson of local authority performance shows costs stabilising while repairs and relets get faster and arrears reduce

4 February 2008

Audit Commission consultation on proposed revisions for Key Lines of Enquiry 10 – Supporting People

Network briefing by Lesley Healey summarises the main changes proposed for KLOE 10 and some of the themes that emerge in this latest review

29 January 2008

The Mayor’s Housing Strategy for London

Network briefing by Sheila Camp which outlines the draft strategy as it stands January 2008

28 January 2008

Recent housing management inspections: some data and observations

In depth analysis of recent inspection reports by Clive Bayliss. What drives the results? Are the inspectors' consistent? How should I approach inspection in 2008?

22 January 2008

Valuing people now

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager sets out the main elements of the consultation document and highlights some of the key implications for social housing providers

8 January 2008

Positive practice information

Identified at inspection by the Audit Commission

28 December 2007

Overcoming worklessness

Network briefing by Janis Bright explores the role that social housing can play in addressing worklessness within the sector

19 December 2007

The use and impacts of ASBOs

Network briefing by Hal Pawson summarises newly published research evidence on the use and impacts of ASBOs in England and Wales, as well as in Scotland

18 December 2007

The Housing Revenue Account: 2008/09 Draft Housing Subsidy Determination

HFExpert complimentary briefing by Simon Smith, summarises the major elements of the 2008/09 Draft Housing Subsidy Determination, issued 23 November 2007. Please note that some parts of the determination have been re-submitted since this briefing was issued

10 December 2007

Private sector strategy: the government’s housing agenda

Network briefing by Vanessa Morton focuses on key points for housing organisations’ work with the private sector

6 December 2007

Housing and Regeneration Bill

Network briefing by Gwyneth Taylor outlines the key provisions of the Bill together with the implications for social housing providers

3 December 2007

Reducing numbers in temporary accommodation

Network briefing by Chris Holmes explores the practical steps that can be taken to reduce the numbers in temporary accommodation

29 November 2007

Crerar, Cave, Firm Foundations and their impact on the Scottish housing regulation

Crerar, Cave, Firm Foundations and their impact on Scottish housing regulation Network briefing by Rob Hughes explores these in detail including the implications for housing providers

29 November 2007

Tightrope or safety belt? Building board and council relationships at ALMOs and LSVTs

Tightrope or safety belt? Building board and council relationships at ALMOs and LSVTs Network briefing by Debbie Ounsted examines why ALMO and LSVT boards alike have an interest in polishing their partnerships with their council for mutual benefit in the longer term

29 November 2007

Consultation on the setting of guideline rents in Local Authority Housing Subsidy

Hf:expert briefing

19 November 2007

Positive practice information

Identified at inspection by the Audit Commission

16 November 2007

Firm Foundations: the future direction of housing policy in Scotland

Firm Foundations: the future direction of housing policy in Scotland Network briefing paper by Dave Alexander explores the Firm Foundations discussion paper in detail

14 November 2007

Revised performance indicator handbook for housing associations

The handbook has been revised, updated and new material written by HQN Associate John Wheeldon

5 November 2007

All you ever wanted to know about surveys

Network briefing by John Wheeldon aims to update members on the options available and discusses the pros and cons of different approaches

26 October 2007

Positive practice information

Identified at inspection by the Audit Commission

23 October 2007

Almos - renewing your management agreement

Network briefing by Nick MacKenzie, Anthony Collins Solicitors, considers the process for renewing an ALMO’s management agreement

15 October 2007

Tolerated trespass – the beginning of the end?

Network briefing paper by Tim Horsley takes an up to date look at Tolerated Trespassers including CLG’s Tolerated Trespasser consultation paper

12 October 2007

Housing finance and value for money headlines from the pre-budget report and CSR

Complimentary hf:expert briefing by Dylan Chipp intended to highlight financial headlines and CLG’s expectations of Local Government to deliver HM Treasury’s 3% budget savings target

12 October 2007

Communities Scotland and the Care Commission

Network briefing by Janet Dickie and Marcia Ramsay explores, in detail, the roles, responsibilities, and how the two organisations work effectively together

10 October 2007

Strategic housing - Green Paper response and housing headlines from the pre-budget report and CSR

Complimentary SEN briefings by Gill Leng are intended to highlight the kind of areas where you may feel it appropriate to focus your responses and has been made under headings that will be more relevant to local authorities rather than Green Paper headings

Additional files:

Document

8 October 2007

Independence and opportunity – the national strategy for Supporting People

Network briefing by Lesley Healey provides a summary of the key themes within the national strategy for the future of the supporting people programme

1 October 2007

Neighbourhood charters – making them work for you

Network briefing by Natalie Pace outlines how neighbourhood-based charters and agreements work, the different models that can be used, and gives a number of case studies to illustrate how they are developed, implemented and monitored

24 September 2007

Social housing and child protection policies

Network briefing by Jeannie Swales examines why West Kent decided to develop a child protection policy and how other organisations could do the same

19 September 2007

Equality impact assessments

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager examines the benefits of carrying out EIAs and offers practical guidance

17 September 2007

Preventing tenancy breakdown, promoting tenancy sustainment

Network briefing by Wendy Hayhurst, examines tenancy sustainment, looking at the possible causes of tenancy breakdown and suggesting some ways in which social landlords can overcome it

12 September 2007

Positive practice information

Identified at inspection by the Audit Commission

10 September 2007

Housing market assessments

Network briefing by Stacey Sleeman offers an overview on how local authorities and regions can work together to identify sub-regional housing markets

10 September 2007

HQN Scottish newsletter

Our September issue, with all the latest from HQN

5 September 2007

New KLOEs for old?

Network briefing by John Wheeldon outlines changes to the Audit Commission's Key Lines of Enquiry and offers tips on self- assessment

3 September 2007

Positive practice information

Identified at inspection by the Audit Commission

31 August 2007

The Commission on Integration and Cohesion report: Our shared future

Network briefing by Vanessa Morton outlines the report's themes and highlights the main recommendations on housing

28 August 2007

Your questions answered: the Housing Corporation's new performance indicator suite

Network briefing by John Wheeldon tackles common problems with definitions, validation, void periods, appointments and STATUS questions

20 August 2007

Resident influence, choice and control

Network briefing by Janis Bright sets out details of the Housing Corporation’s latest strategy statement and the CLG consultation on the issue

17 August 2007

Communities Scotland guide to inspection

Network briefing by Wendy Hayhurst outlines important changes to the regime

13 August 2007

Housing Green Paper: financial briefing for local authorities and providers

Network briefing by Steve Partridge examines the financial implications of the Green Paper

9 August 2007

Planning for a sustainable future

Network briefing by Sheila Camp covers issues raised within the White Paper Planning for a sustainable future published 21 May 2007

3 August 2007

Gypsies and Travellers: the housing agenda – an update

Network briefing by Vanessa Morton seeks to provide an update on developments since the Networks earlier briefings and to clarify further, how and why housing organisations should be involved

30 July 2007

The Law Commission’s tenancy default scheme

Network briefing by Tim Horsley will be of interest to social landlords seeking to enforce the terms of a lease but having a moral dilemma with the windfall effect of forfeiture and to housing advisers and those with a general interest in housing law seeking to keep up to date with potential changes

26 July 2007

A quick summary of the new housing Green Paper

Network summary by Andy Selman of the housing Green Paper published on 23 July

24 July 2007

Regeneration and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard in mixed tenure estates

Network briefing paper by Rob Hughes looks at achieving the SHQS and improvement of neighbourhoods and the difficulties facing landlords in regenerating areas where there is a variety of tenures, particularly owener occupiers

17 July 2007

Let's call the whole thing off: is your responsive maintenance service as good as you think it is?

Wayne Hughes explains why tenants and responsive repairs providers disagree about maintenance performance and what to do about it

9 July 2007

Promoting disability equality - A briefing for housing associations

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager provides more detail on what the duty involves and describes how housing associations should respond

29 June 2007

Respect: an update

Network briefing by Natalie Pace, provides an update on some key parts of the Respect Action plan for landlords as well as outlining forthcoming changes in relation to local crime and disorder reduction partnerships

26 June 2007

The transition from CPA to CAA

Network briefing by Greg Birdseye summarises the key stages of the transition and includes the latest information issued by the Audit Commission

19 June 2007

Positive practice information

Identified at inspection by the Audit Commission

15 June 2007

Promoting gender equality

Network briefing by Joanna Jeffery and Richard Seager provides more detail on what the duty involves and describes how housing associations should respond

12 June 2007

HQN – Learning from success

Network briefing by Alistair McIntosh and Janis Bright tells the story of four organisations that have achieved turnarounds and spectacular results

8 June 2007

Update on the Housing Corporation’s new performance indicator suite

Network briefing by John Wheeldon advises on what to look for, common pitfalls and timetabling for the new PI suite

5 June 2007

State of the nation 10 - Housing in Scotland

Network briefing by Tony O’Sullivan and Gillian Young reviews the housing and regeneration landscape in Scotland in the light of the Scottish Parliament and local government election results in May. It considers the findings of the public spending Budget Review Group (the 'Howat Review'), and developments on the social housing procurement and strategic investment framework agendas

1 June 2007

Positive practice information - March-April 2007

Identified at Inspection by the Audit Commission

25 May 2007

Housing and community cohesion

Network briefing by Wendy Hayhurst uses and builds on a number of presentations in a recent round of HQN seminars to suggest how housing might contribute to community cohesion

21 May 2007

Dealing with personal insolvency

Network briefing written by insolvency specialist Edward Cook includes explanations of what bankruptcy and IVAs mean; how it affects the collection of rent; and the impact on recovery of overpayments of benefits

14 May 2007

Local government reform: the impact on providers of support

Network briefing by Gill Leng to explore the potential for added value from the integration of Supporting People into LAAs

8 May 2007

The Lyons Inquiry and the future of local government: one step forward and two steps back for housing?

Network briefing by Tim Brown and Nicola Yates will be of particular interest to housing organisations in order that they can contribute effectively to the issue of the future of local government

17 April 2007

Coastal towns - The House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee Report

Briefing by Vannessa Morton for housing policy makers and practitioners in coastal areas, covering housing issues, which figure strongly in the report, and covering some of the fundamental issues it raises about the nature of these towns’ economies, housing markets and regeneration

11 April 2007

The future of social housing: an HQN conference

Network briefing by HQN Associate Janis Bright, summarises the presentations at HQN’s recent conference which explored the changing roles, responsibilities and expectations of the sector

3 April 2007

CPA the harder test – scores for 2006 for single-tier (and county) councils

Network briefing by Greg Birdseye summarises the overall outcomes and then describes in more detail the results for housing services

27 March 2007

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

Network briefing by Michael Sander focuses on issues of potential relevance to senior staff in local authorities, ALMOs and housing associations, either in terms of setting a work context, or in terms of the Bill’s detailed substance

22 March 2007

Ends and means - the future role of social housing - The Hills Report

Network briefing by Doug Edmonds focusing on the actions that local government and other social landlords might take in advance of any policy or legislative change

21 March 2007

Improving service performance: less regulation and more efficiency?

Network briefing by HQN Associate, Lynne Carr, highlights the main areas of good practice outlined at a recent HQN Inspection event in Edinburgh

20 March 2007

The CLG draft Code of Guidance on allocation of accommodation – choice-based lettings

Network briefing by Tim Brown & Nicola Yates provides an in-depth analysis of the Government's draft Code of Guidance on choice-based lettings

15 March 2007

Analysis of 2005/06 Scottish local authority housing management

Network briefing by Hal Pawson examines key indicators including rent collection, void management, relet times and repairs

13 March 2007

Options for the future of sheltered housing stock

Network briefing by Trudi Kleanthous aims to summarise the key issues that need to be addressed, and makes recommendations as to the options available when considering a strategy for the future

8 March 2007

The Cave Review of housing regulation: responses

Network briefing by Janis Bright examines the key themes emerging and provides a summary of points from a range of leading organisations

6 March 2007

Determining the comparative value of responsive repairs

Network briefing by Rob McNaughton describes an HQN research project that developed and tested a new method of comparing the value of responsive repairs

2 March 2007

Analysis of 2005/06 Housing Corporation performance indicators for housing associations in England

Analysis of 2005/06 Housing Corporation performance indicators for housing associations in England Network briefing by Clive Hall, shows continuing improvements in void management and rent collection, while repairs performance holds steady

28 February 2007

Scottish Housing Quality Standard progress report

Network briefing by Linda Ewart explores the results of the analysis published by Communities Scotland in January 2007

26 February 2007

Inspecting large scale voluntary transfer organisations – lessons from the past 18 months

Briefing by Sheila Camp looks at the key themes that emerge from the 29 reports to provide pointers to areas that LSVTs need to give special attention before the inspectors call

23 February 2007

Analysis of strategic housing Best Value PIs 2005/06

Network briefing by Hal Pawson that examines local authority performance on empty homes brought back into use, homelessness, and Housing Benefit administration

20 February 2007

Disabled Facilities Grant Programme: The government's consultation on improving programme delivery

Network briefing by Vanessa Morton explores the issues and implications of the CLG consultation report

13 February 2007

Gongs – why bother?

Network briefing by Stephanie Harper considers why organisations should work to attain IiP status, and other awards

8 February 2007

Tenant inspectors - helping to improve and develop housing services

Network briefing by Carole Amer (with additional material from Laurie McCormack) explores how tenant inspectors are being empowered by different organisations

8 February 2007

Strengthening powers to tackle anti-social behaviour

Network briefing by Tim Horsley examines the consultation paper from The Home Office that includes proposals to add to or enhance the powers for dealing with anti-social behaviour

1 February 2007

Your questions answered: tenant participation

Laurie McCormack tackles questions focusing on a range of issues around tenant participation

29 January 2007

Positive practice information

Identified at Inspection by the Audit Commission

25 January 2007