Finance England/Wales

   

Rent policy, rent restructuring and service charges

• 15 November 2007

  Housing Corporation Circular 09/07 Rents, rent differentials and service charges for housing associations

   

• 2 July 2007

  BeneCalc - Supplier guide

   

• 15 June 2007

  Final Regulatory Impact Assessment: Residential leasehold reform: Administrative charges and Service charges CLG documents which aim to ensure that sufficient and consistent information is provided to tenants about their statutory rights and obligations in relation to administration and service charges

   

• 4 December 2006

  04/06: Rents, rent differentials and service charges for housing associations The regulatory requirements on rents state that housing associations should keep their annual rent increases to no more than the set guideline limit specified by the Corporation

   

• 17 November 2006

  Rent arrears training An outstanding course for front-line staff Additional files: To book a place now select this link

   

• 6 November 2006

  Leasehold: sinking/reserve funds, and KLOE 12 Network briefing by Julia Greenwood explores the pros and cons of setting up sinking funds, and outlines some best practice

   

• 29 August 2006

  At your service: housing association rents and service charges for supported housing and housing for older people Housing Corporation report which analyses rents and service charges on the basis of various criteria such as number of bedrooms, region, etc

   

• 23 August 2006

  Preventing arrears through financial inclusion Strategies that work - the RIEN annual conference, 2006 Additional files: To book a place now select this link

   

• 26 July 2006

  Improving rent collection: an Audit Commission report on Direct Debit Network briefing by Liam Dawson summarises the cost effectiveness of using Direct Debits in the collection of various charges

   

 

Investment and option appraisal

• 3 July 2008

  Second round of the Housing Corporation's Regular Market Engagement process Flexibilities for the second round of the Housing Corporation's Regular Market Engagement (RME) process have been announced, moving towards the shortening of timescales for the next round and a subsequent move to a more continuous bidding process

   

• 14 May 2008

  The Growth Fund 2008-2011 – Consultation This consultation document has been published to seek views on proposals for the Growth Fund, which is the new mechanism by which funding for places pursuing growth will be provided for the period 2008-2011. Consultation closes 7 July 2008

   

• 8 May 2008

  Regional investment statements and scheme listings - April 2008 The following Regional Investment Statements detail the outcomes from the first bid round of the 2008-11 National Affordable Housing Programme. This is the first tranche of new investment for the programme

   

• 30 August 2007

  £800,000 Corporation Innovation and Good Practice grant cash boost for 16 nationwide projects Sixteen innovative projects across the country are set to benefit from £800,000, as part of a package of grants to encourage innovation and good practice in housing. The grants have been awarded under the Housing Corporation's Innovation and Good Practice (IGP) programme

   

• 1 August 2007

  Investment targets exceeded and supervision cases lowest ever - Housing Corporation report and accounts 2006-07 The Housing Corporation has exceeded its investment targets again with its best ever performance, whilst the lowest ever number of associations are in supervision according to the Housing Corporation’s annual report and accounts 2006-07

   

• 12 July 2007

  Housing Corporation funding to be made available to Community Land Trusts for the first time The Housing Corporation has confirmed that Community Land Trusts will for the first time be given access to its national investment programme

   

• 22 March 2007

  Housing associations to be given more flexibility around re-investment to build more homes A consultation has been launched on new proposals from the Housing Corporation to give housing associations more flexibility in the way they spend funds arising from house sales. The consultation runs from 13 March to 13 June

   

• 12 January 2007

  Social Housing Landlords are reaping the benefits of financial strategies says new report Social Housing Landlords across England are reaping the benefits of improved access to financial services as a result of new investment by housing associations says a new report launched today

   

• 22 December 2006

  Future Investment Approaches: Towards the 2008-10 bid round Housing Corporation launches its latest investment paper and unveils responses to future investment approaches

   

• 24 November 2006

  Housing Investment in the Regions DCLG consultation paper – consultation period 24 November 2006 to 16 February 2007

   

• 1 November 2006

  Sector welcomes Housing Corporation Future Investment Approaches The Housing Corporation has received widespread approval to proposals in its discussion paper on Future Investment Approaches.

   

• 26 September 2006

  Future investment approaches Housing Corporation discussion paper

   

 

Scottish Housing Quality Standard

• 1 November 2006

  Assessment of the impact of the cost of repairs for Right to Buy leaseholders DCLG research designed to identify key issues related to the impact of the Decent Homes Policy on Right to Buy leaseholders

   

 

Funding rent income and HB

• 6 June 2008

  Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England: 2008-09 Budget The latest national statistics on the budget estimates of local authority revenue expenditure and financing for 2008-09 were released on 5 June 2008 under arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority

   

• 8 April 2008

  Discretionary Housing Payments Best Practice Guide This best practice guide for local authorities covers the discretionary housing payments scheme, which provides claimants with further financial assistance when a local authority considers that help with housing costs is needed

   

• 8 April 2008

  Housing Benefit Direct Newsletter This page links to 2008 issues of the Housing Benefit Direct Newsletter for housing benefit and council tax benefit staff in local authorities

   

• 27 March 2008

  Housing association sector turnover up 9.4% to £9.1 billion, according to Global Accounts The sector grew faster than in the previous year, with turnover up by 9.4%, the value of housing association properties up 10% to £77.4 billion and surplus before tax grew 8.4% to £270 million despite the challenges faced

   

• 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

  Welfare Reform Bill The welfare reform bill has now received royal assent. This includes rolling out Local Housing Allowance and paying Housing Benefit directly to eligible private sector claimants and a HB sanction for tenants who are evicted for ASB and refuse support

   

• 21 September 2006

  Corporation announces 2007-09 Innovation and Good Practice Programme The Housing Corporation has today announced a new bid round for its Innovation and Good Practice (IGP) programme 2007-2009

   

• 21 September 2006

  Top performers to gain higher rewards Discussion paper on radical modernisation to Housing Corporation’s future investment programme launched

   

• 21 September 2006

  Ideas into action: the research and innovation compendium As the Housing Corporation considers funding applications under new themes and priorities, it has drawn together a selection of recent research and innovation activities

   

• 16 August 2006

  Tackling over-indebtedness: annual report 2005 DTI, DWP and DCA report on initiatives tackling indebtedness

   

• 17 July 2006

  Annual review of housing association private finance This is the first Annual review of housing association private finance. It replaces the private finance monitoring bulletin published by Housing corporation and the National Housing Federation

   

 

Development

• 14 September 2007

  £500m cash boost for housebuilding councils Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper today unveiled a major £500m package of proposals to accelerate the building of the homes families and first-time buyers desperately need - ensuring both that new homes are greener and the focus is on brownfield land.

   

• 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

   

• 20 March 2007

  The Single Regeneration Budget: final evaluation research summary Summary report of the final evaluation of the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB). The study evaluates how SRB worked in practice and assesses its achievements against the original programme objectives. The summary also considers how SRB relates to current policy and the lessons that should be incorporated into new programmes

   

• 23 October 2006

  Innovation and Good Practice grant programme 2007-09 This year's Housing Corporation IGP bid round has formally opened with the launch of the 2007-09 prospectus and call for expressions of interest

   

• 24 July 2006

  Housing Corporation agrees terms to build subsidised affordable homes in England George Wimpey, one of the country's leading house builders, has agreed the final terms on a contract to secure funding from the Housing Corporation

   

 

Efficiency and VFM

• 25 June 2008

  Associations have secured significant efficiency gains says the Housing Corporation as it launches Operating Cost Index Results for 2007 Housing associations have delivered around £360m in operating efficiency gains during 2005-07 says the Housing Corporation as it publishes the 2007 Operating Cost Index (OCI) results for the largest housing associations in England. Published for the fourth year, the OCI allows the comparison of costs between associations

   

• 18 June 2008

  Healey urges councils to spend tax as efficiently as they collect it Local Government Minister John Healey today praised councils on improving the amount of council tax collected for the eighth successive year

   

• 18 June 2008

  Efficiency is key to riding out credit crunch says Housing Corporation Deputy Chief Executive in Harrogate speech

   

• 19 March 2008

  Healey unveils overhaul of efficiency and improvement support for councils Local Government Minister John Healey has confirmed the first step in an overhaul of improvement support for councils, as they work to increase efficiency and improve services to release £5 billion, which can be used to reduce pressure on council tax bills or invest in local services

   

• 13 February 2008

  Streamlined Annual Efficiency Statements take burden off housing associations The Housing Corporation has announced that housing associations will be not be required to complete an Annual Efficiency Statement for 2008. The statement, which has been a sector requirement for housing associations over the past two years, will this year be collected from data supplied by housing associations in their self assessment compliance submissions

   

• 29 November 2007

  Value for Money toolkit HQN’s 2nd edition Value for Money workbook, co-authored by Steve Partridge and Dylan Chipp, takes into account recent CSR announcements and the results of numerous mock inspections and organisation healthchecks Additional files: Word version for completion purposes

   

• 28 November 2007

  Councils should use competition more effectively to cut costs and boost services Local councils should develop a more open-minded and creative approach to the market if they are to realise the £4.9 billion efficiency savings required following this year's Comprehensive Spending Review, according to the Audit Commission's report, Healthy Competition

   

• 5 November 2007

  Annual Efficiency Statements - 2007-08 Forward Look Forward Look efficiency statements setting out the strategy and key actions that local authorities in England are pursuing to achieve efficiency gains during 2007-08

   

• 5 November 2007

  Annual Efficiency Statements – 2006-07 Backward look Backward Look efficiency statements setting out the efficiency gains local authorities in England achieved during 2006-07

   

• 16 October 2007

  Delivering Value for Money in Local Government: Meeting the challenge of CSR07 Greater value for money - efficiency - will be key to meeting the challenge of improving local services within the resources available. Councils, along with the rest of the public sector, are expected to deliver 3 per cent per annum efficiency gains in CSR07; CLG document outlines the ways in which this expectation may be delivered and the activities planned to support their implementation

   

• 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

   

• 30 August 2007

  Housing with support and the efficiency agenda - a toolkit Housing Corporation Toolkit, primarily aimed at assisting housing associations involved in care and support provision to address the current efficiency agenda, whether it be the Housing Corporation's expectations for annual efficiencies to be achieved or Supporting People commissioners' desire to contract with cost-efficient services that demonstrate value for money

   

• 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

   

• 2 July 2007

  Thematic review: Efficiency Housing Corporation review which provides an analysis of the Annual Efficiency Statements (AES) submitted to the Corporation in 2006. The AES reporting process provides the means by which associations self-assess their performance on improving efficiency

   

• 8 June 2007

  Thematic review: Efficiency This review provides an analysis of the Annual Efficiency Statements (AES) submitted to the Housing Corporation in 2006

   

• 6 June 2007

  New Chief Executive for OGC Office of Government Commerce (which leads the drive to modernise government procurement and deliver value for money) gets new Chief Executive

   

• 4 May 2007

  Annual Efficiency Statements 2007 Associations will need to submit their Annual Efficiency Statement alongside their self assessment compliance statements to the Housing Corporation by 31st July 2007. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 0845 4747 004 or hfexpert@hqnetwork.co.uk for further information or support on efficiency and value for money

   

• 2 March 2007

  Measuring and reporting efficiency gains This guidance sets out all the basic information required by a local authority in order to complete an Annual Efficiency Statement. It builds on the Efficiency Technical Note for Local Government, developing its ideas and providing practical examples on how to measure and report efficiency gains and provide assurance that the gains are genuine

   

• 22 December 2006

  Annual Efficiency Statements - 2006/07 Mid-Year Update The documents that are published on the DCLG website are the 2006/07 Mid-Year Update statements submitted by 174 local authorities (67 of which were submitted voluntarily) and a spreadsheet that sets out the efficiency gains achieved in each sector by each local authority.

   

• 7 December 2006

  Local authority annual efficiency statements:backward look 2005/06 Network briefing by Sally Williams compares the forward and backward look to determine where the differences have occurred

   

• 27 November 2006

  Efficiency gains doubled to £13 billion since budget The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Timms, announced major progress towards the Government's Gershon Efficiency Programme targets, as he revealed the latest savings and headcounts reductions

   

• 21 November 2006

  Long-term evaluation of Best Value: final report DCLG report presents final conclusions from a five-year (2001-2005) evaluation of the implementation and impacts of the Best Value regime in local authorities

   

• 10 November 2006

  Efficiency gains of £318 million as housing associations continue to exceed government efficiency targets Housing Corporation announce that Housing associations have exceeded Government efficiency targets for the second year

   

• 26 July 2006

  Drive for robust financial management is vital to improve public services The Audit Commission's annual review of audit work reveals that public sector bodies still need to improve markedly their financial performance, financial reporting and corporate governance arrangements

   

 

Others/general

• 22 May 2008

  Credit crunch checklist The current economic climate is affecting all business sectors, including the housing sector. The checklist can be used to test key elements of your organisation, be it a housing association, ALMO or local authority

   

• 15 April 2008

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

   

• 28 February 2008

  Area Based Grant General guidance 2008

   

• 11 February 2008

  CLG statistical release House Price Index - December 2007

   

• 10 December 2007

  House Price Index CLG - October 2007

   

• 6 December 2007

  £1.5bn for councils and communities to boost employment Local Government Minister John Healey has announced that 66 local and 21 transitional authorities will receive a share of a new £1.5bn fund as part of the Government's drive to turn around long term unemployment in our most disadvantaged communities. This forms part of the almost £9bn funding boost for local government

   

• 23 November 2007

  Changes to the Capital Finance System: Capital Finance Amendment Regulations Minimum Revenue Provision Guidance Communities and Local Government is considering changes to the Capital Finance System, mainly coming into effect in the current financial year

   

• 13 November 2007

  CLG House price index September 2007

   

• 5 November 2007

  CSR: Challenges and Opportunities for Local Government Speech by John Healey MP, Minister for Local Government

   

• 30 October 2007

  Housing and Planning Delivery Grant Impact Assessment The Housing and Planning Delivery Grant is a new £500m fund to incentivise improved housing delivery, including more effective planning, to better address local needs. This Impact Assessment sets out an initial assessment of the likely impacts of these proposals

   

• 30 October 2007

  Housing and Planning Delivery Grant Summary of responses

   

• 30 October 2007

  The Housing and Planning Delivery Grant A new £500m fund to incentivise improved housing delivery, including more effective planning, to better address local needs. This consultation details how the Government proposes to allocate this funding over the next three years. Views from local authorities and other interested parties on this proposed mechanism are invited by 17 January 2008

   

• 15 October 2007

  House Price Index - August 2007 CLG information

   

• 10 September 2007

  New rules on grant recovery and use of Recycled Capital Grant Fund New rules on grant recovery and use of Recycled Capital Grant (RCGF) have been announced in the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing investment programme

   

• 5 September 2007

  Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant Guidance 2006-2008 The Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant provides capital funding for improving and increasing Gypsy and Traveller site provision by local authorities and Registered Social Landlords. Funding for local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites has previously been administered centrally through the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Communities and Local Government). From 2006/07 onwards, funding will be available from the regional housing pot, which is managed by Regional Housing Boards or equivalents.

   

• 5 September 2007

  Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant Guidance 2006-2008 The Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant provides capital funding for improving and increasing Gypsy and Traveller site provision by local authorities and Registered Social Landlords. Funding for local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites has previously been administered centrally through the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Communities and Local Government). From 2006/07 onwards, funding will be available from the regional housing pot, which is managed by Regional Housing Boards or equivalents.

   

• 15 May 2007

  House price index March 2007 Communities and Local Government Statistical Release

   

• 17 April 2007

  01/07: Treasury management by housing associations This Circular sets out the Housing Corporation's expectations of housing associations relating to treasury management

   

• 23 March 2007

  Optimism bias in appraisal Optimism Bias is the term used to describe the demonstrated, systematic tendency for project appraisers to be overly optimistic about project costs, duration and benefits. The Treasury’s Supplementary Guidance on Optimism Bias recommends that project appraisers should make explicit adjustments to the estimates of project costs, benefits and duration based on empirical data to inform project decisions. This guidance helps appraisers to do this

   

• 30 November 2006

  The comprehensive spending review: an update Network briefing by Janis Bright sets out the timetable to the July 2007 CSR announcements, and outlines the main themes that will feature in the review

   

• 3 November 2006

  Assessment of the impact of the cost of repairs for Right to Buy leaseholders DCLG research designed to identify key issues related to the impact of the Decent Homes policy on Right to Buy leaseholders

   

• 31 October 2006

  Councils Receive £3.47bn for Housing Management and Maintenance Local authorities in England are to receive £3.47 billion to improve the quality and management of their council homes

   

• 26 July 2006

  Housing and Planning delivery grant This consultation paper sets out principles and potential options that the Government could use to develop a new housing and planning delivery grant. Responses by 17 October 2006

   

• 24 July 2006

  Housing Corporation exceeds targets for 2005-06 Housing Corporation's annual report and accounts 2005-06

   

• 17 July 2006

  Treasury management by housing associations Housing Corporation consultation paper

   

• 10 July 2006

  Housing Association model accounts 2006 Housing Corporation example report and financial statements updated for 2006 requirements and reflecting sector and general best accounting practice

   

 

Business planning for LAs

• 19 March 2008

  Participatory Budgeting: A Draft National Strategy - Giving more people a say in local spending CLG consultation which seeks views on the draft Participatory Budgeting Strategy. Specifically, the document seeks views on the strategy as a plan to achieve the Government's ambition for participatory budgeting to be used in all local authority areas by 2012

   

• 11 March 2008

  Self-financing of council housing services: Summary of findings of a modelling exercise In autumn 2006 six local authorities, three of them with ALMOs, took part in an exercise to test the costs, benefits and practicalities of operating outside the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system. This report sets out the findings of the project

   

• 13 November 2007

  Local Government Finance Key Facts: England The 2007 series of Key Facts cards shows the key outturn figures on local authority finance for the years up to 2006-2007 and budget for 2007-2008

   

• 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

   

• 11 October 2007

  Local Government finance Information, coming out of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, on the grants that will be delivered through the revenue support grant and the area based grant

   

• 10 October 2007

  2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review HM Treasury

   

• 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 July 2007

  Guidance notes for completion of 2007 Business Plan Statistical Appendix – Annual Monitoring (BPSA–AM or BPAM) The purpose of the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) is to bring together information about HRA stock. It draws together information relevant to the formulation of an HRA Business Plan (the future plans) and reports progress made during the last financial year (annual monitoring)