More of the government’s three-year house building programme could be diverted towards refurbishing empty homes. Trevor Beattie, director of policy at the Homes and Communities Agency, said it was considering whether to spend more of the £8.4bn National Affordable Housebuilding Programme on empty homes as part of its corporate plan, which will be submitted to ministers for approval this month. At present, the HCA spends about 7% of the NAHP on improving empty properties. ‘We would welcome any steps the sector could take to quickly bring empty homes back into use and, in doing so, effectively provide extra affordable homes,’ Beattie told an Empty Homes Agency conference on March 25.
Anna Walker, the outgoing chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, has been appointed as the chair elect of the Office of Rail Regulation, the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain’s railways. The Healthcare Commission’s functions were taken over by the Care Quality Commission on April 1. Walker takes up her new post on July 5, once select committee vetting has been undertaken. She said: ‘I am looking forward to this exciting role. The railways are very important to people in this country and are facing some significant challenges in the twenty-first century.’
Scotland’s chief inspector of constabulary, Paddy Tomkins, has said face-to-face meetings should replace postal surveys as part of efforts to make more use of public opinion in deciding police priorities. Tomkins said: ‘At a time when community policing is at the forefront of the agenda, it is important that forces build on the existing process for addressing the needs of local communities in setting their strategic priorities. To do this effectively, they need to have, and take account of, proper consultation with the public.’
The government is to provide £170m of funding for 29 transport projects that will support the development of new housing. The projects, paid for from Community Infrastructure Fund, include rapid bus routes, pedestrian and cycle bridges, and improvements to road junctions. Housing minister Margaret Beckett said: ‘Good transport links are vital to successful communities and these projects will unlock the potential for new housing where it is needed.’ Another 26 schemes are being invited to submit full business cases for consideration for a further £30m.
Three new waste facility projects are to receive £300m in Private Finance Initiative credits from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Hertfordshire County Council has been awarded £115.3m, Norfolk County Council £91m and the South London Waste Partnership, comprising four London boroughs — Croydon, Kingston-upon-Thames, Merton, and Sutton — will receive £112.9m. Environment minister Jane Kennedy said: ‘Reducing our reliance on landfill is an essential part of the drive to tackle climate change. This will create a real incentive for the local authorities and industry to work together to reduce waste and the environmental impact of landfill.’
Dame Deirdre Hutton, currently chair of the Food Standards Agency, has been made the first female chair of the Civil Aviation Authority. She will take up the position in August 2009 when Sir Roy McNulty, the present chair, steps down after eight years. She will serve as non-executive chair, working approximately two days per week at the CAA. Her appointment is for five years and will initially be at a salary of £130,000 per year. A post of chief executive will be advertised shortly, the Department for Transport said.
