Pickles hints at FOIA extension to housing associations

The Conservative Communities Secretary, in an exclusive Q&A interview for Inside Housing this week, responded to a question about the FOIA by saying housing associations need to embrace the government’s ‘transparency agenda’.

Mr Pickles said: ‘The housing association sector needs to embrace this voluntarily, or else, face this at a regulatory or legislative level down the line.’

Mr Pickles’ rhetoric reopens the threat of FOIA extension to the sector, which was originally suggested by Grant Shapps before the idea was mothballed by his successor as housing minister Mark Prisk.

Nick Clegg also confirmed exclusively to Inside Housing this week that the Liberal Democrats would extend FOIA to housing associations. He said: ‘As recipients of taxpayers’ money, social housing landlords should be responsible for the assets they own and transparent and open to their communities.’ The full Q and A with Mr Clegg will be published this afternoon.

Ed Miliband, in another exclusive Q&A interview for Inside Housing to be published tomorrow, said Labour has no current plans to extend FOIA to associations. However he did not rule the idea out entirely, saying Labour would keep it ‘under review’.

Sector figures voiced concern that the move would threaten associations’ status as private bodies and be overly resource-intensive.

James Tickell, said the proposal, along with the Conservatives’ proposed Right to Buy extension and plans to fold the housing ombudsman into a larger public service ombudsman service, could all contribute to associations being reclassified as public bodies- potentially putting £60bn of debt on the government balance sheet.

Rod Cahill, chief executive of Catalyst, said an FOIA extension would mean ‘getting housing associations to use resources that could be used to build more homes’.

Mr Pickles’ comments follow a fortnight in which the major political parties have made major policy announcements on housing as the election campaign nears its close.

Mr Miliband at the weekend confirmed Labour’s plans for three-year PRS tenancies with rent increases limited by inflation and announced the removal of stamp duty for first time buyers on homes worth less than £300,000.

David Cameron upped the ante by announcing the Conservative government would legislate to bring in its controversial Right to Buy extension to housing association tenants within 100 days of the election.

A Yougov poll of 1,749 people conducted on Monday and Tuesday showed 27% of adults now think housing is one of the most important issues facing the country, an increase of 7% in just a fortnight, suggesting the public’s concern about housing has increased as the parties have announced more policies.

An analysis by thinktank The Social Market Foundation earlier this month suggested around 4% of the Conservative manifesto is dedicated to housing, the highest of any of the party’s general election manifestos since 1997. For Labour the figure was around 3%, also the highest since 1997.

Despite housing being centre stage, sector figures have voiced disappointment that the main parties’ proposals have not enough measures to increase house building.

Tony Stacey, chair of Placeshapers, which represents 100 housing associations, said: ‘It’s great that housing has gone right up in the polls but also so frustrating that the dialogue has been around the demand side.’