Policy Hub
On 9 September 2009, the Audit Commission published a report which finds that many councils feel pressured into focusing their energies and resources onto the building of new houses.
The report discloses that 94% of councils have prioritised new and/or affordable housing targets through local area agreements, but fewer than a third have prioritised targets relating to their existing housing stock despite the financial savings, environmental improvements and social benefits of doing so.
By taking a broader view of housing, the report argues that councils could do more to combat poverty, ill-health, educational under-achievement and help strengthen local communities. The recession makes a strategic view of housing all the more important.
Building better lives: getting the best from strategic (PDF)