Housing Minister Baroness Andrews announced that the Housing Corporation will administer the ODPM's Section 16 Tenant Empowerment Grant Programme, which is aimed at improving housing management in local authority housing through greater tenant participation and the development of tenant management organisations.
The Housing Corporation will have day-to-day operational responsibility while the ODPM will continue to have prime policy responsibility.
The Housing Corporation already funds a wide range of projects, including the promotion of tenant and community involvement initiatives through its Innovation and Good Practice Programme.
The ODPM is proposing (through secondary legislation) to extend the Housing Corporation's powers to give grants to persons other than Registered Social Landlords for purposes similar to those in Section 429A of the Housing Act 1985.
Section 429A of the Housing Act 1985 (inserted by Section 16 of the Housing and Planning Act 1986) enables the Secretary of State to give financial assistance to persons managing public sector or former public sector housing, or persons seeking to facilitate or encourage improvements in or providing services in connection with the management of such housing.
The Tenant Empowerment Grant Programme helps to stimulate and develop effective tenant participation in council housing management. It does not fund mainstream local authority tenant participation activity, but provides opportunities for tenants through the following initiatives: