The Housing Corporation set out proposals for the pre-qualification process for entry to the 2008 National Affordable Housing Programme.
In a change from previous pre-qualification exercises, only new bidders will be expected to pass tests for entry. The three tests for new entrants will be based on those used in 2006: focusing on good standing, technical capacity, and financial viability.
Pre-qualification for existing partners will be firmly based on analysis of good performance in 2006-07. This will have two dimensions and good performance is based on:
The pre-prospectus process aims to begin in April 2007.
The Housing Corporation also announced its plan to set out details of the criteria for pre-qualification for the new Partnership Plus status, which aims to reward excellent performance from its partners.
The Government announced an additional £485 million allocation for the modernisation of around 55,000 homes during the next year. The funding brings the total amount allocated to councils with arm's-length management organisations (ALMOs) for improving council homes since 2002 to £3.7bn.
In total, there are 56 ALMOs managing more than 828,000 homes and spending £840m each year on bringing these up to the Decent Homes standard through refurbishing and modernising programmes.
This latest Round 4 allocation of £485 million is being made available to ALMOs in Bassetlaw, Bury, Ealing, Eastbourne, Hammersmith & Fulham, Manchester, Newark & Sherwood, Nottingham, Rotherham, Sandwell, Slough, and Wolverhampton. It also includes Round 2 ALMOs in Bolton, Carrick, Hillingdon and Leeds (three ALMOs in Leeds). These eighteen ALMOs will receive £468 million in allocations for 2007-08. In addition, Waltham Forest will receive £17 million.
The Housing Corporation's detailed analysis of the rents charged in the housing association sector became available. It covers social landlord rents based on data at 31 March 2006 obtained from the RSR survey.
Every year the Housing Corporation publishes data in The Guide to Local Rents Parts I and II, which provides comprehensive data on the pattern of average rents in the social housing sector in England. This year's rent guide is enhanced by a part III, which provides analysis on rents for supported housing.
Dataspring - a team of researchers based in the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, University of Cambridge - produces The Guide to Local Rents on behalf of the Housing Corporation.
Part II of the 2006 rent guide, which provides detailed analysis of the housing association sector and covers social landlord rents, consists of three tables giving total stock levels, average rent, and service charges broken down by bedsize for:
The new Part III covers social landlord rents for supported housing and housing for older people. It consists of three tables, giving a combination of rents data for:
New lending agreed by Lloyds TSB during January 07 included:
Derwentside Homes Ltd.:
£105 million
Finance large scale voluntary transfer
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust:
10 million
Support of new development programme
Accent Peerless:
£125 million
Refinancing and support of new development programme
Agudas Israel Housing Association:
£15 million
Support of new development programme
