Best Value housing will focus on communities

20 Jan 00
Effective community strategies will be at the heart of achieving Best Value in housing, local authorities were told this week.

21 January 2000

The Best Value in housing guidance, launched on January 19 by junior housing minister Chris Mullin, stresses that housing should be viewed alongside other community initiatives as well as the government's overall Best Value programme.

Speaking at a conference in London organised by the Local Government Association, Mullin said local authorities must look beyond traditional service boundaries and take account of opportunities for innovation and partnership with the public, private and voluntary sectors.

'Diversity and plurality in service provision are essential if local authorities are to achieve the changes in performance that Best Value demands,' he said.

The guidance, Best Value in Housing Framework, was developed by a steering group made up of social housing experts from local authorities and registered social landlords.

Copies were being sent to councils this week, prior to the introduction of Best Value in housing on April 1.

Jeanette York, who represented the LGA on the steering group, said local authorities should welcome attempts to reduce wasteful bureaucracy through a new protocol aimed at cutting the amount of information that councils are asked to provide to different bodies.

PFjan2000

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