27 June 2003
A government blueprint for bringing all social housing up to scratch may need to be rewritten because of opposition from new regional boards.
Some shadow boards have already indicated that the decent homes standard is not a priority, said Sarah Webb, director of policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing.
'We could end up with real tension if the government feels it is not going to meet the decent homes target,' she told a conference fringe session.
The boards will allocate money to councils and housing associations from April. Although ministers can overrule decisions, it would be a major embarrassment if boards' strategies conflicted with the standard.
Webb urged the government to trust boards. 'It's not going to work if it thinks of local organisations only as delivery vehicles for national policies,' she said.
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