Many people think that what a local authority does in housing is just to provide council housing for rent. But over the past 14 years, more and more councils have sold all the houses they used to own to one or more housing associations (HA), through a process known as stock transfer.
By March 2002 650,000 homes had been sold through transfer, and one quarter of local housing authorities are no longer landlords. These councils have neither the resources nor the specific responsibilities of a landlord, but remain, in law, the local housing authority, with associated responsibilities. The majority of social homes in their area are now owned by a new local agency with its own priorities, aims and focus, accountable to different stakeholders. Its decisions and actions will have a direct effect on many local people in housing and other services.
This report looks at the results of transfer locally, and concentrates on how well local authorities carry out their responsibilities and what this means for people who depend on them for services. Transfer highlights an authority's strategic and enabling role and the non-landlord housing services that it provides. The report concentrates on areas where changes are most common after transfer and on those issues which officers, members and other stakeholders raised most often as concerns. However, local housing markets and the resources available to different authorities vary significantly and transfer will bring different issues to the fore in different local areas.