Industry opinion is being collected over the next eight weeks in the first stage of a review led by Tony Poulter
The government is calling for house builders to contribute evidence of working with Homes England as part of a review into whether it is “delivering for the taxpayer”.
Industry participants including private sector home builders, housing associations, local governments, charities and financial institutions are among those being asked for evidence as part of a “routine review” into Homes England.
Members of the public who have been involved with homeownership schemes and cladding remediation can also contribute evidence.
This call for evidence will last eight weeks and will run from 21 July 2023 until 15 September 2023. The survey questions can be filled in online.
Homes England, the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England, is among 40 bodies chosen for “routine review” as part of the Public Bodies Review programme.
The review is designed to assess “whether the current powers, legal form and delivery model of Homes England are appropriate to the functions it is expected to perform.”
Department for Transport board non-exec Tony Poulter, has been asked to lead the review. He said in a statement last month that he “hopes to […] come to recommendations that will help the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) and Homes England to be as effective as possible in meeting their objectives”.
The call for evidence is the first step in the process of on-going consultation with different stakeholders.
Homes England was last fully reviewed in 2016 when it was known as the Homes and Communities Agency.
>>See also: Homes England put under government review
Three separate internal reviews were held in 2020, each of which recommended improvements in how the DLUHC and Homes England work together in partnership, as well as in governance structures, accountability and purpose.
The current review comes shortly after Homes England finally published a long-awaited strategic plan, which it said would see it re-align itself around regeneration, rather than just pure housing delivery.
A spokesperson for Homes England said: “This is part of a standard review process led by the cabinet office that all Arms Length Bodies are subject to, and that usually takes place every three years. Homes England’s last review was over six years ago, and as such we look forward to working with the lead reviewer and their team.”
Homes England has a portfolio of over 9,000 hectares of land and around £16bn of combined capital spend (loan, grant, equity, and guarantees) to deploy by 2027/28.
In its delivery of the Help to Buy programme, it is the sixth largest mortgage lender in England. It has a range of statutory powers, including compulsory purchase, that it can use to deliver its objectives.
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