Strategic Review of Housing Service
Dartford Borough Council aims to provide excellent housing services that contribute to improving the quality of life of Dartford's residents.
This is a period of great change and it is vital that the Housing service takes time to review all its activities, discuss relevant issues with residents, staff and stakeholders and make itself ready to embrace change, seize opportunities and meet the challenges that lie ahead.
The Housing Review, running until January 2012 in the first instance, has six main elements:
- Analysis: looking at the future housing needs of our changing population.
- Assets: looking at what assets we have and whether or not we are making the most of their potential.
- Delivery arrangements: looking at what we already do well as well as the scope for improving performance and value for money.
- Policies and strategies: ensuring these support and reflect our ambitions, vision and priorities.
- Housing Revenue Account Business Plan: setting out the financial arrangements for our housing business under the new self-financing regime starting on 1st April 2012.
- Influence: looking at the impact of welfare and other reforms proposed by Government, and contributing where possible towards shaping legislation, guidance and implementation arrangements.
Reform Of Council Housing Finance
The changes to the system of council housing finance, contained in the Localism Bill due to receive Royal Assent this autumn, will mean abolishing the housing revenue account subsidy system and giving councils full control over the income they receive from rents and other sources in return for taking on a proportion of national housing debt. Making sure we can take full advantage of these new arrangements is another reason to take a look at our housing service as a whole. These changes will not directly affect tenants: there is a brief guidance note produced by the Government that explains these changes in more detail.
Consultation
We want to hear the views of residents and service users as part of the Review process. We have already been consulting with the Resident Involvement Joint Liaison Group and the Dartford Borough Residents' Forum, and we will consult more widely later in the process. Watch this space for more information about how you can get involved.
Enquiries
If you have specific questions about the Housing Review, please contact housing.review@dartford.gov.uk
