More than 60% of respondents at TAI 2015, Wales’ foremost housing conference, said that they thought housing organisations should enthusiastically embrace the opportunities presented by Welsh government’s public service transformation agenda.
Terraced streetHousing organisations are seen as increasingly important potential partners in changing models for public service delivery. The sector has an impressive record for delivering non-housing (sometimes called ‘housing plus’) services to communities, such as improving employability, housing and health partnerships, social enterprises and co-operative housing schemes.
The survey, conducted for CIH Cymru by independent market research company Strategic Marketing, showed strong backing from the sector for further collaboration with local authorities.
Welsh government recently published a report on new ways of designing and delivering public services, with a focus on mutual and co-operative models. The report, authored by former CIH Cymru director Keith Edwards, found that housing associations and registered social landlords already work in public sector partnership to deliver social, economic and regeneration benefits to their communities.
Following the launch of his report Keith Edwards said: “Further buy-in from housing associations would rely on new proposals being consistent with their values, objectives and financial planning. Housing associations and mutuals are natural long-term partners of local authorities, and could offer a real alternative to privatisation, redundancies or service closure. They keep citizen power and democratic accountability at the heart of service delivery.”
Merthyr Valleys Homes, an organisation themselves looking to move to a co-operative model in 2016, will be more familiar than most with the process of changing how services are delivered.
Chief executive of Merthyr Valley Homes, Mike Owen said: “Registered social landlords have long term business plans that have to be resilient; to ensure we are able to provide our core services, and to ensure that we continue to invest to guarantee that houses are as good tomorrow as they are today. In addition we now provide a range of non-housing functions as the welfare reforms begin to bite. Being part of this change agenda inevitably benefits our tenants. In Wales we are fortunate that our government supports the social housing sector and understands the added value that our organisations bring to the table.”
Julie Nicholas, policy and public affairs manager at CIH Cymru, said: “It’s clear that the RSL sector sees itself as part of the agenda for public service transformation. Good quality housing, at a price people can afford, is obviously an essential element of any community, but housing organisations’ contribution goes much further. Building on partnership working and the existing good relationships with local government and health is in everyone’s interest when it comes to retaining and improving the services that functioning, healthy communities rely upon.”