1. Homes for All An Offer for Everyone
Gill Payne
Director Policy & External Affairs

2. Our Ambition to Deliver
“ If you want a great place to live come to a housing association”

3. Post-referendum politics
These next few slides aim to outline the drastic changes to the political landscape, post-referendum.
I’m not going to go in to too much detail here, as I’m sure you’ve all been following the news closely. Broadly – as you will know – we saw a huge amount of turmoil and uncertainty following the vote to Leave the EU. David Cameron stepped down and a relatively fractious contest for the leadership of the Conservative party followed. After hopefuls Boris Johnson, Stephen Crabb, Michael Gove lost out, former Home Secretary Theresa May was ultimately made leader after Andrea Leadsom withdrew herself from the race.
After positioning herself as a safe pair of hands during her campaign, Theresa May’s first speech set out how she would provide strong leadership to unite the country and her party. For those remain campaigners speculating over the possibility of a second referendum, her message was clear: ‘Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a success of it’
She also set out her ‘bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country’ which works for all sections of society, recognising the vote has revealed a clear demographic split in our country, which is going to be hard to bring back together. There’s one graph on this slide to demonstrate this – we also know that a majority of those working full-time or part-time voted to remain in the EU; most of those not working voted to leave. You may also be aware that a majority of private renters and people with mortgages voted to remain, whilst around two thirds of council and housing association tenants voted to leave.
Theresa May focussed strongly on this split in her speech, committing to deliver serious social reform – carrying on the one nation conservatism that Cameron stepped up after the last election. On the specific issue of housing, she continued the previous government’s focus on home ownership, referring to the challenges young people face in getting a first foot on the housing ladder.
Following her appointment, May has been quick to reshuffle and create a new Cabinet, including several new Departments. Her commitment to Brexit has been reinforced by her creation of a Department for Exiting the EU – rather than just leaving it to the Foreign office – and a new Department for International Trade. Commentators also noted the pointed clear-out of Cameron’s ally’s from Ministerial positions – she has made a point in ensuring her new Cabinet is meritocratic, with 70% having been educated at state schools.
The public affairs team are writing letters to and engaging with all new Ministers and Special Advisers of relevance (e.g. in Number 10, Treasury, DCLG, DWP and the DH.

4. VRTB Agreement Manifesto commitment- reaffirmed
Right to Buy level discounts for housing association tenants
Board control over which homes to sell
Sell at market rate
Full compensation of discount
Flexible one for one national replacement
The gains from this, especially board control over what to sell are only viable due to the voluntary nature of the scheme.
Top line message is ‘think now, pay later’

5. VRTB : Think now, pay later
The current approach for members can be described as think now, pay later
Apologise for the high level of text in the next 5/8 slides

6. Deregulation ONS judgement – issues Deregulatory measure Timescales
Government consent powers regarding disposals of social housing assets
Removal of the disposal consents regime
Regulations expected Autumn 2016
Government powers to direct the use of disposal proceeds
Abolition of the Disposal Proceeds Fund
Government consent powers over disposals of housing stock following deregistration with the regulator
Government consent powers over the voluntary winding-up, dissolution, and restructuring of a registered provider
Removal of the regulator’s powers over constitutional changes
Government powers over the management of a registered provider – ability to appoint managers and officers
Limitation of the regulator’s powers to appoint managers and officers
Local authority control of registered providers
Restriction of local authority board nomination and removal of ‘golden share’ rights
Re-iterate time line as below
NOTE: current regime applies until regs are laid, regs include commencement date – current regime still applies until then
In October 2015 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that housing associations would be reclassified as Public Non-Financial Corporations for the purpose of the national accounts and other statistics.
Government is keen to reverse this decision due to the detrimental impact the sector’s debt has on the public finances. Real business as usual approach.
The sector’s concerns are rooted in the control HM Treasury is likely to require over housing association borrowing if the decision is not reversed.
The outcome is a suite of deregulatory measures in the Housing and Planning Act 2016, and some reluctance to apply legislative change directly to the sector.
The next step is that regs are developed and laid [add HCA stuff below] – regs need to be enacted before ONS can look again at the status of associations, best guess = turn of the year.

7. Brexit – key issues

8. Delivering new supply
Last year associations built 40,124 new homes in England - 29% of total
House 10.5% of population. Own 2.7 million homes
April to June completed 7,500 homes
More shared ownership outside AHP (797 V 752)
Social rent 330 in AHP, 850 outside AHP
47% of build from S106
Provide 422,000 homes for older and vulnerable households

9. Is there a new mood?
“Under my leadership, the Conservative party will put itself - completely, absolutely, unequivocally - at the service of ordinary working people”.

10. Unlocking private finance
An offer for everyone
Flexibility
Land
Innovation
Investment
Unlocking private finance