08 June 2007
Some London councils are failing to support housing associations' development schemes, relying on neighbouring boroughs to house families on their waiting lists, a report claimed this week.
The report, published on June 7 by the London Assembly, accuses councils of not always providing sufficient land for homes that are funded through Housing Corporation grants or section 106 agreements with developers.
Although it is mainly up to registered social landlords where they build, they are likely to shy away from boroughs where they do not enjoy the local authority's support, said John Biggs, the report's author.
Biggs, a London Assembly member and deputy chair of the London Development Agency, said councils that are more proactive in supporting development risk are becoming net importers of social tenants. 'Residents are being exported from less needy boroughs to more needy boroughs,' he told Public Finance.
The report calls for greater transparency over the allocation of grants in London and a review of the process for nominating families to new homes for rent.
PFjun2007
