Housing Corporation Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08
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Housing Corporation Annual report and accounts 2007-08 Delivering today, building for the future THE NATIONAL AFFORDABLE HOMES AGENCY Housing Corporation Annual report and accounts 2007-08 Delivering today, building for the future Presented to the House of Commons pursuant to section 7 of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 17 July 2008 HC 941 London: The Stationery Office £25.75 2 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 Contents 3 Chairman’s introduction 4 Chief Executive’s foreword 6 More quality homes 14 Improving landlord performance 20 Making best use of our expertise 24 Developing our can-do culture 28 Our Board 29 Annual accounts at a glance 30 Annual report and accounts © Crown Copyright 2008 The text in this document (excluding the Royal Arms and other departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium providing it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the document specifi ed. Where we have identifi ed any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. For any other use of this material please write to Offi ce of Public Sector Information, Information Policy Team, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU or e-mail: [email protected] ISBN: 978 0 10295 7297 3 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 Chairman’s introduction This annual report gives us the chance to look back at what the Housing Corporation has achieved over the past year – and to look forward to an exciting future. The past year has been the best maintaining housing association ever for the Housing Corporation. homes – but not at the expense We’ve exceeded our targets for of the quality of their work. delivering new affordable homes We’re now working to pass forward while staying within budget our regeneration and investment – meaning that we’ve stretched to the Homes and Communities Government money further to help Agency, and are helping to set up even more people to fi nd a home. the Tenant Services Authority, We’ve also acted to protect tenants’ which will take forward the work interests, putting them fi rmly at we’ve been doing to support the the heart of landlords’ priorities, rights of residents, the high-quality and contributed to Government management of their homes and policies that will affect residents the viability of their landlords. and the affordable housing sector This report sets out our positively for years to come. achievements over the past This year, a record number of year. The successes it outlines Peter Dixon homes have met the Decent Home – and the stories from residents Chairman Standard and we’re on target to whose lives have changed for Housing Corporation have housing associations meet, the better – show the strength of or exceed, the standard by the the legacy we will pass on to our Government’s target date of 2010. successor agencies in 2008-09. And we’ve helped affordable housing providers signifi cantly cut the costs of building and 4 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 Chief Executive’s foreword This has been a tremendous year for the Housing Corporation, the Government’s national affordable homes agency. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved. Back at the beginning of the year, forefront of thinking and policy we set ourselves three main tasks. development, and praised for our Firstly, to ensure we delivered contributions by MPs, regional business as usual during a time bodies and local authorities, of change – we did it. Right across amongst others. the organisation. On investment, Thirdly, to prepare for the new we delivered more homes than agencies that will take forward ever before. On regulation, our work during the coming year. our work has meant housing On regulation, we were tasked associations’ performance has with leading on the creation of the continued to improve. And on Tenant Services Authority, working sharing best practice, through our with the Audit Commission Gold Award, our Innovation and and others to help create a new Good Practice programme and our regulator with tenants at the communications activities, we’ve heart of its operation. And on reached more people than investment, we’re working with ever before. Steve Douglas the transition team, Communities Chief Executive Secondly, we wanted to ensure and Local Government and Housing Corporation that we contributed to, or helped English Partnerships to support lead, the Government’s social the creation of the Homes and agenda. We did that too – on Communities Agency. At the end of key issues such as vulnerable 2007-08, the Corporation is in great people, community cohesion, shape to help give both the new worklessness and design and agencies a flying start. quality. We’ve been at the 5 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 108% The proportion of homes we delivered this year against our target 6 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 More quality homes This year we said we’d help provide 47,263 new homes. We delivered on that promise. By the end of year 51,095 high-quality homes had been built in sustainable communities. James Jacobs is delighted with New homes in Earl Shilton, Julie Creffeld has been able to Peak Valley Housing Association’s Leicestershire, have helped get on the property ladder – and work to replace unpopular 1960s regenerate the town. The Local run a business from home – in blocks with new homes for sale Sustainable Design Forum ensured east London, thanks to a shared and rent in Hattersley. He now that the Orbit Housing Association ownership scheme offered by describes the estate as “Utopia”. homes are well designed and fit Dominion Housing Group. in locally. 7 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 118% The proportion of family-sized homes we delivered this year against our target 8 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 This year the Housing That’s why, as well as delivering To help deliver successful Corporation invested in more homes for low-cost neighbourhoods, we published a 51,095 new affordable homes ownership this year, we’ve also set of design and quality standards increased people’s chances this year that affordable housing – 3,832 more than our target of getting on the property providers must meet if they want and nearly 25% more than ladder by introducing two new our support. These set minimum last year. More people have products under the Open Market quality criteria for things such been able to afford to move HomeBuy scheme. Known as size, accessibility, noise levels into a new high-quality as MyChoiceHomeBuy and and efficient energy use. Ownhome, they offer shared home this year as a result. Our work to deliver more equity loans, which enable And more communities have high-quality homes has helped existing tenants, key workers, been transformed. meet local needs identified by first-time buyers and others to regional housing bodies and has We promised we’d deliver 28,000 buy homes on the open market worked towards cutting levels of new homes for rent this year. for up to twice the amount they homelessness and overcrowding. We delivered 29,419 – 5% more might otherwise have been than the target. And to help more able to afford. This is critically people get on the property ladder, important at a time when, despite we said we’d deliver 19,263 new falling house prices, affordability homes for low-cost ownership. By remains a major concern. the end of the year, we’d delivered Research shows that the design 21,413 – 11% more than our target. of homes can underpin whether Our survey of housing association a neighbourhood succeeds or tenants found that 30% thought fails. Well-designed homes their lives would be better if make an area more visually they could afford to buy a home attractive and can make them – and among black and minority better places to live. They can ethnic communities this figure improve residents’ quality of life was almost double, at 57%. by cutting the opportunities for crime, improving public health and easing transport issues. 9 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 “The best thing about it for me is the stability it provides” Spending your spare time surfing in He was only able to move back Jamie Hanks Cornwall is an attractive prospect home recently thanks to Fosseway for many, but Jamie Hanks found Housing Association’s Linden Lea he spent more time sleeping on scheme, which includes nine new friends’ sofas than riding the waves. affordable homes for local people in the village. All the homes are built Unable to find accommodation he to a high standard, using Cotswold could afford in his home village of stone walls and slate roofs. Down Ampney in Gloucestershire, Jamie, a qualified fish filleter by “Now I’ve been able to get a one- trade, moved to Cornwall to help a bedroom flat here,” Jamie says. “It’s friend set up a catering business by also much easier for work, which day, while ‘sofa surfing’ by night. is just a short bike ride away.” “I didn’t want to leave Down Ampney in the first place,” says Jamie. “I grew up and went to school in the village and my family and most of my friends are here – but it’s a very expensive place to live.” 10 Annual report and accounts 2007-08 Our investment at a glance Number of homes for Number of homes for Total affordable rent low-cost ownership East Midlands 1,785 1,371 3,156 East of England 3,986 2,387 6,373 London 7,619 6,131 13,750 North East 577 118 695 North West 2,268 1,095 3,363 South East 4,948 4,111 9,059 South West 3,036 1,670 4,706 West Midlands