Success through skills

Success through skills:
maintaining proficiency
in strategic housing
Christoph Sinn

Success through skills: maintaining proficiency in strategic housing
2
Contents
Executive summary of key findings 3
Introduction 5
Key findings from the follow-up survey 8
The importance placed on the strategic housing function 8
within the corporate context
Key priorities for strategic housing 12
Delivering the strategic housing function through partnerships 15
Skills and competencies 20
Conclusions and recommendations 22
Appendix 1: Survey methodology 25
Appendix 2: Results from the strategic housing officer follow-up survey 26
Appendix 3: Results from the chief executive officer follow-up survey 43
Appendix 4: Overview of IDeA’s Strategic Housing Programme 50

3
In 2007, the IDeA commissioned CIH and Ipsos MORI to undertake research, exploring the
extent of the skills, knowledge and capacities needed by local authorities for the effective
delivery of the strategic housing function. In order to build up a baseline position, the first
phase included surveys with strategic housing and chief executive officers, focus groups with
elected members and interviews with a number of national stakeholders. The findings from
this work were subsequently published in the report Skills for success: developing proficiency
in strategic housing.
Following a comprehensive programme of support for local authority housing strategists,
planners, elected members and their partners delivered by IDeA, a follow-up survey with
strategic housing and chief executive officers was carried out in spring 2008. This survey was
to assess the extent of any changes against the baseline position. This report is based on a
comparison between the baseline and follow-up survey around the strategic housing
programme’s key objectives.
The key findings from the follow-up survey include:
• The ability of local authorities to both understand and deliver the strategic housing
function has improved since the 2007 baseline survey.
• The strategic housing function seems to be more effectively engaged with the place
shaping agenda than had been the case only a year ago.
• Chief executive officers seem to be more engaged with and provide higher levels of
support for the strategic housing function compared to the baseline survey.
• Strategic housing officers are more satisfied with buy-in and support from corporate
decision-makers and elected members than a year ago.
• Delivering affordable housing remains the key priority for local authorities’ strategic
housing work. However, other aspects of the strategic housing function, such as
building mixed and sustainable communities are still given low priority.
• Partnership working between strategic teams and both internal and external partners
has improved significantly over the past 12 months.
Executive summary of key findings

4
• While strategic housing officers believe that they have the right skills available to carry
out the strategic function, there is still a lack of the more technical skills, such as those
relating to an evidence-based understanding of housing markets and housing finance.
• Skills and capacity to carry out the strategic housing function as well as recruiting the
right people for the role is less of an issue now than in 2007.
• High proportions of strategic officers feel that their housing strategies work well for
older and disabled people, but less so in meeting the needs of some other groups,
including BME groups.

5
The Local Government White Paper Strong and Prosperous Communities1
has made it clear
that housing is instrumental in delivering the place shaping agenda. Following Sir Michael
Lyon’s review of local government, place shaping has come to be understood as the creative
use of powers and influence to promote the general well-being of a community and its
citizens.2
This in turn involves a joining up of resources and activities as well as demonstrating
a strong leadership and influencing role to ensure that the efforts of all agencies are focused
on outcomes of greatest importance to local people. The local authority strategic housing
function can make a significant contribution in not only addressing housing need, but critically
to the delivery of the vision for a local area as developed in the Sustainable Community
Strategy, through supporting economic prosperity, community cohesion and driving social and
environmental improvement.
When framing the strategic housing function within the place shaping agenda, the importance
of local authorities as strategic enablers and custodians of place, becomes apparent.
Moreover, the Housing Green Paper Homes for the Future3
has reiterated the Government’s
expectation in this respect by setting out its vision for the new strategic housing role, which
states:
“The local authority strategic housing role is made up of the strategic decisions and
activities associated with effective planning and delivery, in order to meet the housing
needs of all residents across all tenures. Strong performance in this role will support
effective place shaping and help ensure delivery of the wider sustainable community.”
Since CIH and the Local Government Association called for a renewed local authority
strategic housing function4
, CLG has invested in a programme of national and regional
support for local authorities, which has been delivered by the IDeA through its Strategic
Housing Programme (www.idea.gov.uk/housing ). The programme has been set around the
following four objectives:
1
CLG, 2006, Strong and Prosperous Communities – The Local Government White Paper. Available
from: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongprosperous
2
Lyons M, 2007, Lyons Inquiry into Local Government - Place-shaping: a shared ambition for the future
of local government, The Stationery Office, London
3
CLG, 2007, Homes for the Future: more affordable, more sustainable. Available from
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/homesforfuture
4
Simpson M, Lucas R, Blackaby B, Davis S, 2005, Visionary Leadership in Housing: a new future for
local housing strategy, CIH, LGA, Coventry
Introduction

6
• understanding the relationship between housing, planning and the economy –
ensuring housing plays its role in the place shaping agenda;
• effective strategic planning – ensuring better alignment and co-ordination of housing
strategies, Local Development Frameworks and Sustainable Community Strategies
and integrating strategic housing objectives in Local Area Agreements;
• delivery through partnerships – ensuring engagement with a wide range of internal
and external partners to deliver strategic housing outcomes; and
• involving residents and communities – strengthening the understanding of elected
members to effectively lead this agenda.
The programme has engaged with the majority of local authorities through a wide range of
activities and events aimed at equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to
effectively deliver the strategic housing function (for a brief overview of activities to support the
programme objectives see appendix 4).
As part of its Strategic Housing Programme, IDeA commissioned CIH and Ipsos MORI to
carry out a study, assessing local authorities’ skills and capacities for the effective delivery of
their strategic housing function. The research was carried out in two phases over the course
of 18 months and included the following:
• A baseline survey of local authority strategic housing and chief executive officers5
in
England to identify the gaps in the skills and knowledge required to carry out the
strategic housing function effectively; interviews with a number of national
stakeholders; focus groups with elected members. This part of the research took place
between March and May 2007 and the results were published in the report Skills for
success.6
• A follow-up survey7
in spring 2008 of strategic housing officers and chief executives to
asses the extent to which the skills and capacity have changed following the initial
5
209 strategic housing officers took part in the telephone survey, which equates to a response rate of
59 per cent. 95 chief executives took part in the online survey, which in the end resulted in 82 completed
questionnaires, a response rate of 23 per cent.
6
Simpson M and Sinn C, 2007, Skills for success: developing proficiency in strategic housing, CIH,
IDeA, Coventry. Available from: http://www.cih.org/policy/SkillsForSuccess.pdf
7
While the strategic housing officer survey was marked by an exceptionally high response rate (86 per
cent), the same can not be said of the chief executive one. The online questionnaire was filled in by 52
chief executives, which equates to a response rate of 17 per cent (see appendix 1 for more detail on the
methodology). Although the findings from the chief executive survey are not necessarily representative
of the views held by local authorities’ chief executives across England, comparisons between the two
surveys are still valid and useful since last year’s sample size was equally marred by relatively small
numbers of responses.

7
baseline survey. Unlike the first phase, this part of the research did not consist of any
qualitative elements.
This report identifies and benchmarks the progress being made by local authorities around
IDeA’s overarching programme objectives, against last year’s baseline position and highlights
some of the key areas in need of improvement.8
8
Whilst it is not possible to establish a direct link between the strategic housing programme and the
progress made since the baseline survey, given the reach and scope of the programme, it is likely that
improvements can at least in part be attributed to the programme activities.

8
The importance placed on the strategic housing function within the
corporate context
Overall, there is a good appreciation of the importance of the strategic housing function
amongst local authorities in England. The data demonstrates that strategic housing has
increased in importance as a priority on the corporate agenda. For instance, 91 per cent of
those who responded to the survey now feel that housing strategy fits well with other
corporate strategies, with 87 per cent reporting that housing strategy is a key priority for their
authority. Although the percentage differences between this and last year’s figures are
generally only small, it nevertheless shows a clear positive upward trend from an already high
baseline (figure 1 and 2). The improvement in working relationships with the corporate policy
department (up by 6 per cent from 76 per cent in 2007) provides further evidence of the
integration of strategic housing objectives with other corporate issues (see appendix 2, figure
4).
This overall positive trend was reinforced by the chief executive officer survey, with 96 per
cent saying that housing is a key corporate priority. Whilst the 2007 survey showed that 28 per
cent of chief executives felt that housing was given insufficient priority by their local
authorities, this figure has dropped to 16 per cent in this year’s survey. In contrast to strategic
housing officers, chief executives feel that housing strategy plays less of a crucial role on their
authorities’ agendas than a year ago. It is unlikely that housing has ‘dropped off’ the radar as
figure 2 overleaf clearly shows, rather it might suggest that local authorities have become
better in the role (ie getting on with the job) and consequently it has become less of an
emerging priority for chief executives.
Strategic officers feel more satisfied with the internal support and buy-in to developing and
delivering the housing strategy than was the case a year ago. This indicates that housing has
climbed up the corporate agenda. Overall satisfaction levels have gone up by 8 per cent, from
73 to 81 per cent. Nearly a third (30 per cent) are very satisfied compared to a fifth in the
previous survey (see appendix 2, table 11).
Key findings from the follow-up survey

9
Figure 1
% of strategic housing officer agreeing
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Development
of a housing
strategy is a
key priority
for the Local
Strategic
Partnership
in my area
Housing is
adequately
represented
in our
Sustainable
Communities
Strategy
The strategic
housing role
occupies a
crucial
position on
my
authority's
agenda
Housing has
a key role to
play in the
Local Area
Agreement
Effective
housing
strategy is a
key priority
for my
authority
Housing
strategy fits
w ell w ith
other
corporate
strategies
2008
2007
Figure 2
% of CEOs agree
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Development
of a housing
strategy is a
key priority
for the Local
Strategic
Partnership
in my area
Housing has
a key role to
play in the
Local Area
Agreement
The strategic
housing role
occupies a
crucial
position on
my
authority's
agenda
Housing is
adequately
represented
in our
Sustainable
Community
Strategy
Housing
strategy fits
w ell w ith
other
corporate
strategies
Development
of an
effective
housing
strategy is a
key priority
for my
authority
2008
2007
Satisfaction with support from specific personnel within local authorities has seen an increase
(see appendix 2, figure 8). In line with last year’s findings, those closest to the strategic
function provide the most support. 91 per cent are happy with the support provided by officers
within the housing department, compared with 84 per cent in 2007. Buy-in from elected
members is crucial to the delivery of the strategic function. Qualitative research alongside last
year’s baseline survey suggested that members’ knowledge and appreciation of strategic
housing issues fell short of what is required to provide the necessary support to further the
strategic function. 82 per cent of respondents to the follow-up survey feel satisfied with the

10
buy-in from elected members (up by eight per cent), which suggests that member issues have
started to be addressed. IDeA’s Strategic Housing Programme will have contributed to this
positive upward trend. Parts of the programme were specifically aimed at improving elected
members’ understanding of the strategic housing function and its importance within the place-
shaping agenda. Members had the opportunity to attend the Strategic Housing Leadership
Academy9
, peer events and access a number of bespoke guidance documents.10
Findings from last year’s research indicated that chief executives are well placed and can be
instrumental in putting the strategic function centre stage by acting as conduits between
strategic teams, internal partners and elected members as well as promoting the strategic
housing function. Elected members even suggested ‘absorbing’ the strategic housing function
into the chief executive’s department as part of a ‘leadership package’ in order to strengthen
it. The follow-up survey indicates that chief executives are stepping up to this role. For
instance, 40 per cent report that they are more engaged with the strategic function than in the
previous year (see appendix 3, table 8) and 84 per cent report that it is part of their
responsibility to raise the profile of housing within their authority (see appendix 3, figure 2).
Over 80 per cent of strategic officers feel that they receive more support from chief executives
now than only a year ago (83 and 77 per cent respectively; see appendix 2, figure 8). Thus,
they also rate working relationships with the chief executive’s department as more effective
than in the previous survey (figure 4). This is in part down to the fact that strategic officers
have clearly become better in communicating the strategy and housing issues more
effectively. For example, chief executives report that the frequency (ie on a weekly and
monthly basis) of receiving updates on the progress and delivery of the housing strategy has
increased, (see appendix 3, table 3). It is seen by 86 per cent of chief executives as
comparable with the information they receive on other strategic functions, which again is an
indication of housing’s high profile within the corporate context (see appendix 3, table 4).
Equally, satisfaction with regards to the level of information received on the strategy has gone
up, with 56 per cent saying that they are ‘very satisfied’ (see appendix 3, table 2).
Looking at staffing levels and make up of strategic housing teams is another way of getting a
sense of the importance given to housing and the strategic function in the corporate context.
Here, the picture has only slightly changed. All officers surveyed confirmed that there was a
dedicated strategic housing team in place within their authorities, with the majority of strategic
teams consisting of 1-5 staff (64 per cent – see appendix 2, table 4). Whilst this seems
relatively small, this relates to the fact that the strategic housing function in not just a housing
9
126 members went through the Strategic Housing Academy.
10
www.idea.gov.uk/housing

11
activity; rather the function is carried out across a number of local authority departments. The
capacity to deliver the strategic housing function has increased, with over a third of strategists
stating that more personnel are involved in strategic housing across local authorities. This is
supported by the finding which suggest that there are more ‘large’ strategic housing teams
now in spite of some local authorities ‘downsizing’ their strategic housing teams (15 per cent
of local authorities have reduced the overall numbers of those working on strategic housing
issues; see appendix 2, table 5). A slightly higher proportion (37 per cent) of district authorities
report an increase in numbers compared to unitary councils (29 per cent). Overall, the
proportion of teams with 11-20 staff members has more than doubled since last year’s survey,
from 5 to 12 per cent. At the same time, the issue of staffing capacity as a potential barrier to
effective partnerships has also reduced compared to only a year ago (see figure 6).
However, the follow-up survey shows that fewer strategic teams are headed up by a senior
member of staff (see appendix 2, table 6). In 2007, 67 per cent of teams had a member of
staff operating at senior or middle managerial level, compared to 49 per cent this year.
External circumstances and the general political focus on housing seem to be
counterbalancing any potential loss of influence for the strategic housing function that might
have arisen from this. The findings seem to imply that the strategic housing team’s ‘impact’
does not only depend on the ‘seniority’ of individual members. The ability to effectively
communicate the housing strategy to corporate decision makers as well as establishing
quality working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders/partners and the
influence of external circumstances are also key.
Although elected members have become more knowledgeable about housing, which in turn
has led to increased buy-in for the strategic housing function as well as improved relationships
with the strategic team, officers feel less confident in building trust with and supporting elected
members. The perceived skill to do this has fallen from a baseline position of 93 percent to 86
per cent in this follow-up survey. Given the critical role of elected members in ensuring that
housing remains high on the corporate agenda, strategists need to be able to provide them
with continuous support. As the strategic housing role evolves and expands this will become
all the more important. It is more than just about effective communication (which the findings
suggests has actually improved), but rather an ongoing process of capacity building.

12
Key priorities for strategic housing
Delivering affordable housing remains the key priority for 82 per cent of strategic housing
officers, a 13 percentage point increase compared to last year (figure 3). District authorities in
particular see this as more of a priority than their unitary counterparts. At the same time,
almost 10 per cent of officers see the pressure of ‘meeting needs of affordable housing’ as
one of the more general barriers to developing and implementing the strategic housing
function (see appendix 2, table 13). This focus on supply amongst local authorities is perhaps
not surprising, given the government’s focus on this priority and the fallout from the credit
crunch on house building activity. A fall in the overall building output will impact on the
numbers of affordable homes because of a decrease in section 106 properties.
‘Meeting housing aspirations/needs’, was one of the main priorities in last year’s baseline
survey, which is now seen as a priority by less than 20 per cent of strategic officers (though
still one of the top five priorities). This again needs to be viewed in the light of the current
market situation which is characterised by a marked shortfall in affordable homes. In this
context it is surprising that for only seven per cent of local authorities, balancing housing
markets is seen as a priority, compared to 17 per cent a year ago.
Figure 3
82%
33%
20%
19%
18%
11%
7%
7%
5%
4%
2%
2%
69%
33%
22%
50%
10%
4%
17%
7%
6%
6%
Main priorities
Q1 - What would you say are the two or three main priorities that
your authority is aiming to address with its housing strategy?
Base: 257 respondents. Fieldwork conducted 6th-30th May 2008 + 209 respondents, fieldwork conducted 19th March- 5th April 2007
Ensuring an affordable housing supply
Addressing needs of vulnerable groups
Providing more homes
Meeting housing aspirations/needs
Prevention of/reducing homelessness
Improvement of private/public sector stock
Balancing housing markets
Tackling worklessness
Building mixed communities
Building sustainable communities
Assessing needs
Relationship building
2008
2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007

13
There are slight variations in the overall responses from chief executives to the
question of priority (see appendix 3, figure 1). For instance, it is encouraging that
‘building mixed communities’ is given higher priority (21 per cent) than in the strategic
housing officer survey. It is also an indication that chief executives’ understanding of
the strategic function has improved. Almost a third of chief executives see ‘balancing
housing markets’ as a priority to address with their housing strategy (compared to
only seven per cent of strategic officers), which may be a reflection of their more
general strategic outlook, given their leadership role. This represents a major shift in
thinking to last year’s findings, where strategic officers were under the impression
that chief executives did not have a strong sense of housing in its wider strategic
sense.
There is now a greater recognition of housing within the Sustainable Communities Strategy
compared to last year’s strategic housing officer baseline survey (up by five per cent from a
baseline of 64 per cent), which demonstrates an increasing awareness of linkages between
housing and the wider well-being and place-shaping agenda. Although this is an improvement,
a significant minority (30 per cent) do not share this view or lack leverage to get housing
included (figure 1). In spite of this, almost 90 per cent of strategic housing officers rate
relationships with their Local Strategic Partnerships as effective, so the groundwork to get
housing recognised within the wider strategic framework should at least be in place. Chief
executives on the other hand believe that housing is adequately represented in their
authorities’ Sustainable Community Strategy (see appendix 3, figure 2).
A strong and buoyant local economy, marked by sustainable growth is critical to develop
places where people want to live and work. Through bringing partners and various
stakeholders together, local authorities are in a good position to drive economic prosperity.
The importance of this aspect of the strategic housing function was given further impetus by
including it as one of IDeA’s Strategic Housing Programme key objectives. Proposed
legislation to place a duty on local authorities to carry out an assessment of the economic
conditions of their area will further strengthen this role.11
Equally, the recent Review of Sub
National Economic Development and Regeneration12
provides further impetus for integrating
economic development, housing, regeneration and planning to support economic growth and
the building of sustainable communities locally. In this context it is encouraging that housing’s
positive contribution to economic development has been recognised. Nearly 70 per cent of
11
CLG and BERR, 2008, Prosperous Places: taking forward the review of sub-national economic
development and regeneration. Available from:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/citiesandregions/govresponseprosperousplaces
12
ibid.

14
strategic housing officers report good working relationships with their colleagues in economic
development. Almost 40 per cent of strategic officers say that by strengthening these
relationships, the delivery of the housing strategy would be greatly enhanced, which suggest
that they are mindful of the implications of current policy drivers such as the proposals set out
in the Sub National Review. To further support local authorities in making strong and effective
links between housing and economic agendas, IDeA and CIH published a joint briefing paper
which is available as a free download13
.
Another new area considered in the follow-up survey was how effective housing strategies are
in meeting the needs of certain groups (see appendix 2, figure 10). Addressing the needs of
older people is felt to be effective by 88 per cent of strategic housing officers. This is an
important finding in view of demographic challenges. Meeting the needs of disabled people is
equally felt to be effectively addressed in the majority of cases (87 per cent). On the other
hand, the effectiveness of housing strategies in meeting the needs of BME communities, gay,
lesbian and bisexuals are questioned by a number of respondents. Whilst two thirds think that
the needs of the former are adequately taken into consideration, over a quarter (28 per cent)
don’t share this view.
It is disappointing that ‘building sustainable communities’ is seen in this year’s strategic
housing officer survey as less of a priority (reducing from seven to four percent). The same is
true for ‘building mixed communities’ (additional question for this year), which is seen as a
priority by only five per cent. This is surprising, given the Government’s emphasis on this area
for a number of years and the recognition that these areas are integral to the place shaping
agenda. This may well be reflective of the current market situation which focuses local
authorities’ attention on supply-side issues. Whilst this follow-up survey indicates that housing
has become more of genuine cross-cutting issue embedded within the corporate context, the
(historical) emphasis on affordable (social) housing supply is likely to continue into the near
future.
As an emerging policy issue we wanted to see whether tackling worklesness is given
consideration within the housing strategy. It is only seen as a priority by seven per cent and
six per cent of strategic housing officers and chief executives respectively. The majority of
respondents (60 per cent) recognise that their housing strategies are not effective in tackling
this issue (see appendix 2 table 12). Two-thirds of chief executives share this view (see
13
IDeA, East Midlands Development Agency, CIH, 2008, Housing and the economy – integrating
strategies. Available at:
http://www.cih.org/policy/housing-economy-sept08.pdf

15
appendix 3, table 7). This is perhaps not surprising given that the link between housing and
the worklessness agenda has only recently been a major focus of housing policy and practice.
To help housing organisation with planning, implementing and evaluating successful initiatives
to tackle worklesness, CIH (in partnership with the TSA and CLG) has published a toolkit.14
However, a number of local authorities have already made this linkage which shows that the
concept of the strategic housing function has expanded to be more encompassing, taking
account of newly emerging policy issues.
Delivering the strategic housing function through partnerships
Facilitating and coordinating partnerships is a key requirement for the effective delivery of the
strategic housing and place-shaping function. Findings from the strategic officer survey
suggest that partnerships have become more effective over the past year. This is true for
relationships with both internal and external partners (figures 4 and 5 respectively).
Figure 4
96%
92%
92%
88%
82%
84%
84%
75%
69%
55%
93%
83%
85%
80%
76%
75%
75%
Effectiveness of relationships to help deliver
objectives
Q9b How effective is your relationship with each of the following
departments within your authority in helping you to deliver your strategic
housing objectives?
Planning
Legal
Finance/treasurer
Chief executives
(Corporate) policy
Environmental
Social services
Property/estates
Economic development
Education
2008
2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007
Working relationships with internal partners (ie local authority departments), have improved
across the board since the baseline survey (figure 4). It suggests that housing is perceived as
an important cross-cutting issue, which may in turn indicate some progress towards
14
Cope H, 2008, Tackling worklesness: A toolkit, CIH, Coventry. Available from:
http://www.cih.org/worklessness/

16
overcoming the perceived ‘silo’ mentality, as identified in last year’s baseline survey, through
more joined-up thinking. Indeed, as strategic officers report, the perceived lack of joined-up
thinking presents less of a barrier to effective partnership working (with both internal and
external partners) than it was the case a year ago (figure 6). It further suggests that housing
has been recognised as a driver that can help local authorities in delivering on other key
targets. Equally, it is also an indication that housing teams are drawing more on corporate
resources to achieve their strategic objectives. This is entirely appropriate since delivery of the
local authority strategic housing function doesn’t solely sit within strategic housing teams.
Rather it is delivered with help from a number of teams across the local authority. For
instance, planning departments have key strategic housing responsibilities. The agendas of
other departments, such as social services and health (including environmental health), can
also impact significantly on housing and vice versa.
One of the most encouraging finding in this context is that strategic teams seem to have
established effective working relationships with Local Strategic Partnerships, an indication of a
growing recognition that the strategic housing function can help to improve delivery in other
areas such as health, community safety, environmental sustainability and regeneration (figure
5). This interpretation is further supported by the fact that the majority of strategic officers
believe that housing has a key role to play in Local Area Agreements (figure 1, for more detail
see appendix 2, figure 9). The fact that only 10 per cent feel that relationships with Local
Strategic Partnerships need improving is a good indication as to the ‘quality’ of existing
arrangements (see appendix 2, table 3).
Given the political profile of the climate change agenda and the huge carbon saving potential
of the domestic housing stock, it is perhaps not surprising that relationships with partners
concerning environmental issues saw an almost ten per cent increase in effectiveness. This
agenda is likely to continue to increase in importance over the coming years, and effective
working relationships between the strategic housing team and those involved in addressing
environmental issues will be crucial in this respect. The fact that chief executives perceive
working relationships between strategic officers and colleagues concerned with environmental
issues as highly effective, gives an indication as to the importance of this issue in the
corporate context (see appendix 3, figure 3). However, the issues go beyond that of relating to
the climate change agenda only, but include those housing related ones which are the
responsibility of colleagues in environmental health, such as the implementation of the
Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) regime. This assertion is supported by
the finding that strategic officers see improving the private/public sector housing stock as
more of priority now than only a year ago (figure 3). Equally, the improvement in relationships

17
with private landlords (figure 5) can be seen in this light. It also serves as yet another example
of the fact that the strategic housing function does not sit neatly within a single team, but cuts
right across various local authority departments.
Equally, for both officers and chief executives, the legal department is seen as an important
and valued player. For strategic officers, the effectiveness of relationships with colleagues in
the legal department is actually rated considerably better than a year ago. This is a positive
development, particularly in the light of complex section 106 negotiations and agreements. To
avoid any later pitfalls and issues, sound legal advice is essential.
A central plank of IDeA’s Strategic Housing Programme is to support local authorities to foster
effective partnerships between housing and planning teams as part of their place-shaping
role. It is perhaps not surprising then that colleagues in planning are seen as key allies by
both strategic housing and chief executive officers (figure 4 and appendix 3, figure 3) In the
case of the former, effectiveness ratings for working relationships with the planning
department have seen the greatest increase, with nearly 75 per cent saying that it is very
effective, compared to 60 per cent in 2007. It is interesting to see that even though these
relationships have improved by 15 per cent, officers still believe that the relationship with the
planning department needs to get even better (see appendix 2, table 8).15
This is consistent
with strategic officers’ view that the supply of new affordable housing is seen as one of the key
outcomes of strategic housing. The effective working relationships with local developers (up
by 20 per cent) again appear to reflect the clear focus of respondents on the supply-side of
the strategic housing function (figure 5 overleaf). Although these relationships have improved,
both officers and chief executives feel that further improvements would enhance the strategic
housing function and as such would be of greatest benefit to delivering the housing strategy
(see appendix 2, table 3 and appendix 3, table 6). Maintaining these relationships in the
current economic climate will be essential for the future well-being of communities but likely to
be challenging, given the reduction of activities in the construction sector.
Partnerships with community and resident groups have also increased in importance (figure 5
overleaf). This might reflect that local authorities are responding positively to the community
empowerment agenda, which has become a central principle for local service delivery.
Although partnerships with health organisations and social services departments are rated as
‘less’ effective than some others, strategic officers clearly recognise the importance of these
15
This might also explain the increase in the proportion of officer citing ‘planning issues’ as a barrier
more generally to developing and implementing the strategic housing role (see appendix 2, table 13).

18
partners to deliver the strategic function and the place-shaping agenda as well as addressing
the key challenges around demographics and an ageing population (figure 5).
Figure 5
88%
87%
87%
79%
72%
68%
60%
57%
52%
62%
65%
65%
55%
51%
51%
56%
53%
Effectiveness of partnerships
Q2 - Thinking about your partnerships with each of these organisations, could
you tell me how effective that partnership is in helping you to achieve your
strategic housing objectives?
Local Strategic Partnership
Community and resident groups
Local developers
Private landlords
Consultants
Other council departments
Health organisations
Social services department
Public sector economic development
(part of LAs or regeneration orgs.)
2008
2007
Not asked in 2007
For chief executives, the most effective external partnership arrangements broadly mirror
those of strategic officers, ie local developers (90 per cent), LSPs (85 per cent) and private
landlords (71 per cent) (see appendix 3, figure 4). Whilst the rating for partnerships with local
developers has increased by almost ten per cent, ratings for partnerships with all other
partners (except for the relationship with other local authority departments) have seen as
slight drop. Chief executives’ perceptions of partnership arrangements with public sector
development organisations have seen the largest decrease (nearly 20 per cent). The focus on
delivering more affordable housing might be one explanation for this.
Housing markets do not adhere to, nor operate within tightly defined local authority
boundaries. Thus, cross-local authority working is an important feature of the strategic
housing function. Just over 60 per cent of local authorities share a sub-regional housing
strategy with other authorities. Of those that don’t, the majority (95 per cent) have formal
working arrangements with other authorities (see appendix 2, tables 1 and 2).
Strategic housing officers identified a number of barriers which impact on the effectiveness of
both internal and external partnerships (figure 6 overleaf). As with the baseline survey, ‘not
understanding other agendas’ is still the main barrier, with respondents feeling even stronger

19
about this than last year. This may be due to the fact that there is now a better understanding
of the complexity of the strategic housing function which requires knowledge beyond one’s
own professional boundaries. It could equally be due to the difficulties of the current economic
climate, which leads strategic teams to refocus on their own key priorities rather than shared
ones.
Figure 6
40%
30%
21%
20%
18%
13%
12%
9%
7%
6%
5%
39%
26%
17%
20%
18%
16%
6%
11%
6%
2%
15%
Barriers to effective partnerships
Generally speaking, what do you see as the barriers to effective
partnerships?
Not understanding other agendas
No resources to attract interest
Lack of time
Competing priorities/agendas
Poor communication of objectives
Funding issues
Complex relationships
Lack of joined up thinking
Political issues
Staffing capacity
2008
2007
Difficulty in selling vision
Equally, the lack of availability of resources to attract interest16
remains a barrier for nearly a
third of strategic housing officers. ‘Staffing capacity’ on the other hand is less of a perceived
barrier than in the previous survey, falling by 10 per cent. This suggests that strategic housing
officers have developed and strengthened their skills, knowledge and capabilities over the
past year.
The increase in the proportion of officers citing ‘complex relationships’ as a barrier might
reflect the fact that local authorities are more engaged with and understand the broader scope
of the strategic housing function as the follow-up survey clearly demonstrates. The complex
and evolving nature of the strategic housing function has increased the number of partners
and the complexity of partnership arrangements.17
This might also explain why officers feel
they haven’t got enough time to invest in partnership working. With new policy drivers
emerging, such as the worklessness agenda, complexity is likely to increase in the future.
16
This refers to a general lack of leverage or bargaining power to attract partners’ interest (eg shortage
of land/sites, match funding unavailability).
17
The fact that partnership working as a more general ‘barrier’ to the development and implementation
of the strategic housing role has increased is most likely due to the same reasons (see appendix 2, table
13).

20
Skills and competencies
A diverse range of skills is needed to carry out the strategic housing function effectively. The
overall positive trend identified in this report is a reflection of improvements in strategic
housing officers’ core skills in the areas of communication and negotiation. This is most
evident in the seemingly excellent working relationships with a wide range of partners to
deliver strategic housing objectives as discussed earlier. Equally, the strategic function’s
standing within the corporate context as well as buy-in from elected members and decision
makers is further testimony to a much improved skills set.
The overall importance given to the various skills required has not changed significantly
between the two sets of data (see appendix 2, figure 5). Respondents still feel that most of the
skills needed to deliver the strategic housing function are available within the strategy team or
at least the authority (see appendix 2, figure 6). In fact, drawing on resources from other
departments will help to foster closer relationships and can help to overcome any entrenched
silo mentalities. Only in some cases is external expertise needed, such as the ability to
develop evidence-based understanding of housing markets, which in 32 per cent of cases has
to be bought in (see appendix 2, figure 6). Equally, 10 per cent of officers say that ‘financial
understanding sufficient to deliver complex funding arrangements, loans and equity products’
has to be sourced externally. It might be argued that there is a potential weakness if these
more technical skills are not readily available in local authorities, as this would hamper the
ability to respond to market trends and changes. The current economic climate has
demonstrated how quickly the situation can change and local authorities need to be able to
anticipate such changes in order to adjust their housing strategy and initiate appropriate
action. Incidentally though, when recruiting to the strategic housing team, almost a quarter (23
per cent) of housing strategists are actually looking for these more technical skills (as well as
a wide range of inter/intrapersonal, cognitive and technical skills and competencies which is
reflective of the broad nature of the strategic housing function) (see appendix 2, table 10).
Similarly, when asked whether there are any ‘other’ skills needed to support strategic officers
in their role, almost ten per cent referred to very specific skills, such as project management,
finances, research and data analysis. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) though seem to be
content with their skills and competencies (see appendix 2, table 9).
This year’s survey also shows that it seems to be easier to attract people with the right skills
into the role. However, at the same time recruiting issues are cited by just over one-fifth (21
per cent) of strategic officers as one of the general barriers to developing and implementing
the strategic housing function (see appendix 2, table 13).

21
In terms of entry routes into strategic housing, the overall picture has hardly changed (see
appendix 2, figure 7). As in last year’s survey, only 40 per cent officers believe that housing
compares favourably with other professions as a potential career for graduates. Equally,
frustration levels amongst housing professionals as to the lack of recognition of strategic
housing as a ‘professional’ route are still high. In fact, this sentiment was shared by slightly
more strategic housing officers than it had been the case a year ago (79 and 75 per cent
respectively).

22
As this report has shown, there has been a marked improvement from the baseline position
against a number of IDeA’s key programme objectives. The findings suggest that there seems
to be a higher level of awareness of the importance of the strategic housing function amongst
both strategic housing and chief executive officers and that the function has gained a higher
profile within the corporate context.
There seems to be a better appreciation of housing’s importance in the place-shaping agenda
than only a year ago. Housing appears to be better integrated in key partnerships and local
delivery vehicles such as Local Strategic Partnerships, Local Area Agreements and the
Sustainable Community Strategies. It suggests that housing is now recognised as being
critical to positive outcomes in other areas, such a health, worklesness and educational
attainment. This is reflected in the high levels of support and buy-in given to the strategic
function by corporate decision makers, partners and stakeholders alike. Government policy
developments will require local authorities to maintain focus on the development of the
strategic housing function as part of its wider strategic leadership role for local communities,
putting local people at the heart of shaping services and decision-making.
The single conversation approach of the new Homes and Communities Agency necessitates a
well-developed strategic housing function. The overall positive corporate support for the role
as identified in this year’s survey suggests that local authorities are in a good position to
effectively engage with the agency. Moreover, the agency’s approach is likely to strengthen
the profile of strategic housing within local authorities.
While the follow-up survey shows that local authorities’ understanding of the role has
improved, the wider interpretation of the strategic housing function is to some extent still
underdeveloped.18
The role is still very much perceived as being mainly concerned with
affordable housing supply. The priority given to this is evident in the good working
relationships with partners who can most effectively contribute to this goal, namely the
planning department and local developers and the desire to improve these relationships even
further. So there is a need to continue to build on the growing awareness of strategic
housing’s contribution to wider social, economic and environmental wellbeing.
18
For instance, the proportion of strategic officers citing ‘lack of understanding the strategic housing
role’ has seen an increase (see appendix 2, table 13).
Conclusions and recommendations

23
Strategic housing officers report improvements in the effectiveness of both internal and
external partnerships. This suggests that partners and stakeholders see housing as an
important player to deliver on cross-cutting issues and reflects the focus nationally on housing.
Working arrangements with the planning department, Local Strategic Partnerships and
community/resident groups are seen as the most effective. Difficulties in understanding other
agendas is still perceived to be the main barrier to effective partnerships in the follow-up
survey.
While strategic housing officers generally feel that they have the skills available for the
effective delivery of the strategic housing function, there are some notable exceptions, such
as those relating to an evidence-based understanding of housing markets and housing
finance, which in 32 per cent and 10 per cent of cases respectively have to be ‘bought’ in.
There also seems to be a skills issue with regards to providing support for and building trust
with elected members. The follow-up survey found that this important skill is available to fewer
strategic teams than only a year ago. These remain key skills for ensuring the increased
effectiveness of the strategic function.
No further progress has been made in getting strategic housing recognised as a professional
route in its own right. However, this does not seem to impact on the ability of local authorities
to recruit the right people for the role.
In terms of housing’s impact on specific groups in the community, the majority of officers feel
that their housing strategies work well for both older and disabled people. However, only two-
thirds perceive this to be the case for BME communities and even less so (42 per cent) for
lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
While the overall message of the follow-up survey is a positive one, namely that local
authorities believe they have become better at understanding and delivering strategic housing,
there is no place for complacency. Further sector support will be needed so that local
authorities can fully appreciate housing’s place shaping potential, namely:
• ongoing support for elected members and other corporate decision-makers to enable
them to further strengthen the role within the corporate context;
• ongoing support for housing strategists, so that they are clear about government’s
expectations for the role as it continues to evolve;

24
• ensuring that the wider remit of the strategic housing function such as that of building
mixed/sustainable communities and the role beyond that of housing supply is being
recognised by all those involved;
• ensuring that local authorities have the right skills in place for the effective delivery of
the strategic housing function, so that they are able to quickly respond to new
challenges and policy drivers; and
• supporting local authorities to develop the more technical skills needed for the effective
delivery of the strategic housing function, such as an understanding of housing
finance.

25
Strategic Housing Officer Telephone Survey
Method: Telephone interviews (each lasting 15 mins)
Fieldwork dates: 6th
May- 30th
May 2008
Base: 257 responses
This survey was conducted as a follow-up to the original housing officer survey conducted in
Spring 2007. The survey used the same questionnaire format, although some revisions were
made to the 2008 questionnaire.
The interviews were carried out by trained Ipsos MORI telephone interviewers. These
interviewers systematically called a sample of 300 local authority housing directors and senior
housing officers to ask them if they would be willing to take part in this voluntary survey. 257
(86 per cent) of those called agreed to be interviewed within the fieldwork period between 6th
and 30th
May 2008.
Chief Executive Online Survey
Method: Online survey (each questionnaire lasting 10 mins depending on answers)
Fieldwork dates: 30th
May- 4th
July 2008
Base: 52 responses
This survey was conducted as a follow-up to the original chief executives online survey
undertaken in spring 2007. The survey used the same questionnaire format, although some
revisions were made to some of the specific questions in the 2008 questionnaire. Access to
the online survey was sent using an embedded web-link within an invitation email sent to 300
chief executives. During the fieldwork period, two separate e-reminders were sent to chief
executives to encourage response. The online link was also kept open for a longer period than
planned to maximise response, but still responses did not match the 2007 total of 95 at the
close of fieldwork.
Due to the relatively low base size of 52, one has to be cautious to generalise from the
findings.
Appendix 1: Survey methodology

26
• 2008 results are based on 257 responses to the ‘Strategic Housing Function’ telephone
questionnaire recorded between 6th
May- 30th
May 2008
• 2007 results are based on 209 telephone interviews recorded between 19 March- 5th
April
2007
• Where results do not sum to 100, this may be due to multiple responses, computer
rounding or the exclusion of don’t knows/not stated
• Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
• An asterisk (*) represents a value of less than one half or one percent
• Where appropriate, data has been ranked according to 2008 survey scores, in descending
order. As this topline is based on the 2008 questionnaire, there are some instances where
there is not comparable 2007 data. Where this occurs a ‘N/A’ label is given.
Q1
Figure 1
82%
33%
20%
19%
18%
11%
7%
7%
5%
4%
2%
2%
69%
33%
22%
50%
10%
4%
17%
7%
6%
6%
Main priorities
What would you say are the two or three main priorities that your
authority is aiming to address with its housing strategy?
Prevention of/reducing homelessness
Improvement of private/public sector stock
Building sustainable communities
Assessing needs
Relationship building
2008
2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007
Appendix 2: Results from the strategic housing officer follow-up survey

27
Q2
Figure 2
88%
87%
87%
79%
72%
68%
60%
57%
52%
62%
65%
65%
55%
51%
51%
56%
53%
Effectiveness of partnerships
Thinking about your partnerships with each of these organisations, could you
tell me how effective that partnership is in helping you to achieve your strategic
housing objectives?
Local Strategic Partnership
Community and resident groups
Local developers
Private landlords
Consultants
Other county council departments
Social services department
(part of LAs or regeneration orgs.)
2008
2007
Not asked in 2007
Q3 Do you share a sub-regional housing strategy with other local authorities?
Table 1
2008% 2007%
Yes 61 N/A
No 39 N/A
Q4 Do you work formally with other local authorities on strategic housing?
Table 2
2008% 2007%
Base: All who do not share a sub-
regional housing strategy with
other local authorities (99)
Yes 95 N/A
No 5 N/A

28
Q5 If you could improve relationships with any of your external partners, which two
or three would have the most impact on helping you to deliver your housing
strategy?
Table 3
2008% 2007%
Local developers 44 N/A
Social services department 30 N/A
Health organisations 29 N/A
Private landlords 25 N/A
Other county council departments 23 N/A
Public sector economic
development organisations
11 N/A
Local Strategic Partnership 10 N/A
Community and residents groups 8 N/A
Consultants * N/A
Q6
Figure 3
40%
30%
21%
20%
18%
13%
12%
9%
7%
6%
5%
39%
26%
17%
20%
18%
16%
6%
11%
6%
2%
15%
Barriers to effective partnerships
Generally speaking, what do you see as the barriers to effective
partnerships?
Not understanding other agendas
No resources to attract interest
Lack of time
Competing priorities/agendas
Poor communication of objectives
Funding issues
Complex relationships
Lack of joined up thinking
Political issues
Staffing capacity
2008
2007
Difficulty in selling vision

29
Q7 Can you tell me how many people there are in the core strategic housing
team?
Table 4
Q8 And has the number of people involved in delivering the housing strategy
across the whole of your authority increased, decreased or stayed the same
compared with a year ago?
Table 5
2008% 2007%
Increased 35 N/A
Decreased 15 N/A
Stayed the same 51 N/A
Q9a
52%
11%
5%
5%
5%
4%
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
34%
9%
10%
27%
3%
4%
2%
2%
3%
4%
2%
Level and grades of the team
What level or grade is the most senior member of the team
dedicated to the strategic housing role?
Other
Head of service
Housing strategy manager
Principal officer
Head of strategic services
Senior manager
Head of housing services
Director level
Assistant director
Chief officer
2008
2007
Housing services manager
2008 % 2007 %
Base: All confirming a dedicated
strategic housing team
1-5 64 67
6-10 15 16
11-20 12 5
21+ 9 11

30
Table 6
2008% 2007%
Senior level 35 47
Middle managerial level 14 20
More ‘junior’ level 52 34
Q9b
Figure 4
96%
92%
92%
88%
82%
84%
84%
75%
69%
55%
93%
83%
85%
80%
76%
75%
75%
Effectiveness of relationships to help deliver
objectives
How effective is your relationship with each of the following departments
within your authority in helping you to deliver your strategic housing
objectives?
Planning
Legal
Finance/treasurer
Chief executives
(Corporate) policy
Environmental
Social services
Property/estates
Economic development
Education
2008
2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007
Q10 How successful, if at all, would you say your authority has been in linking your
housing strategy with economic development strategies in the area? Would you
say you have been:
Table 7
2008% 2007%
Very successful 15 N/A
Fairly successful 51 N/A
Not very successful 28 N/A
Not at all successful 6 N/A

31
Q11 If you could improve relationships with any of your internal partners,
which two or three would have the most impact on helping you to
deliver your housing strategy?
Table 8
2008% 2007%
Planning 49 N/A
Economic development 39 N/A
Legal 19 N/A
Property/estates 18 N/A
Finance/treasurer 14 N/A
Environmental 12 N/A
Social services 12 N/A
(Corporate) policy 11 N/A
Chief executives 7 N/A
Education 5 N/A

32
Q12 Skills importance
100%
100%
100%
99%
99%
99%
99%
99%
99%
97%
97%
96%
95%
92%
73%
99%
100%
99%
100%
100%
99%
98%
99%
99%
97%
95%
95%
96%
95%
99%
Undertaking and evaluating options
Commissioning of consultants and service providers
Financial understanding
Ability to commission and manage research
Performance management
Understanding connections between programme areas
Ability to negotiate
Ability to develop and evidence-based understanding of
housing markets
Ability to write strategies and action plans
Ability to build trust with and support council members
Ability to engage with communities and partners
Influence and leadership skills
Ability to influence the allocation of resources
Ability to communicate
Establishing and maintaining partnerships
2008 2007
Figure 5
Skills importance
I am now going to read out a list of skills that may or may not be needed for the
strategic housing role. For each one, I would like you to tell me how important
you think it is. Would you say it’s very important, fairly important, not very
important or not at all important?
% saying important

33
Q13
Now I’m going to read out the same list of skills. For each
one, can you tell me whether it is available within your team,
from elsewhere in your authority, or externally (e.g. through
consultants) or not available to you?
100%
99%
99%
99%
99%
98%
97%
97%
96%
95%
94%
88%
68%
98%
99%
99%
100%
99%
98%
97%
99%
94%
94%
96%
85%
69%
Ability to develop an evidence-based understanding of
housing markets
Financial understanding
Understanding connections between programme areas
Undertaking and evaluating options
Ability to commission and manage research
Commissioning of consultants and service providers
Ability to influence the allocation of resources
Ability to negotiate
Performance management
Ability to build trust with and support council members
Ability to write strategies and action plans
Influence and leadership skills
Ability to engage with communities and partners
2008 2007
Figure 6
% saying available

34
Q14 Are there any other skills you need to have, or have more of, that are not
available to you?
Table 9
2008% 2007%
Understanding of housing design/town planning 6 N/A
Project management 3 N/A
Financial aspects 3 N/A
More resources (e.g. staff/funding) 3 N/A
Research and data analysis 3 N/A
Partnership working 2 N/A
Understanding/interpreting legislation 1 N/A
Understanding of wider economic situations 1 N/A
Neighbourhood regeneration skills 1 N/A
Prioritising work/tasks 1 N/A
Ability to develop appraisals 1 N/A
Understanding of regional policy 1 N/A
Understanding of the enabling process 1 N/A
More capacity 1 N/A
More support 1 N/A
Multi-tasking 1 N/A
Community development 1 N/A
Negotiation skills 1 N/A
Leadership skills 1 N/A
Presentation skills 1 N/A
Understanding of the commercial world 1 N/A
Knowledge of local government working 1 N/A
Marketing the affordable housing agenda 1 N/A
Patience 1 N/A
Good business acumen * N/A
Technical knowledge * N/A
Quality of innovation * N/A
Awareness/developing national policies * N/A
Other 9 N/A
None/Nothing 69 N/A

35
Q15 When you are recruiting to the housing strategy team, what are the most
important skills and competencies you are looking for?
Table 10
2008% 2007%
General communication skills 41 N/A
Establishing and maintaining partnerships 28 N/A
Basic knowledge of housing 26 N/A
Ability to negotiate 24 N/A
Technical skills (e.g. data analysis, statistical
analysis and techniques, numerical skills, use of
GIS, etc.)
23 N/A
Ability to engage with communities and partners 19 N/A
Ability to write strategies and action plans 16 N/A
Knowledge of current housing policy drivers 15 N/A
Ability to commission, manage and carry out
research
11 N/A
Ability to think ‘outside the box’ 11 N/A
Influence and leadership skills 9 N/A
Ability to assimilate and make sense of complex
information (often outside one’s own area of
expertise)
9 N/A
Understanding connections between
programme areas
9 N/A
Ability to develop an evidence-based
understanding of housing markets
8 N/A
Financial understanding sufficient to deliver
complex funding agreements, loans and equity
release products
7 N/A
Basic knowledge of social housing 7 N/A
Previous/relevant experience 7 N/A
Ability to communicate strategy so it becomes
relevant to decision makers
6 N/A
Performance management 5 N/A
‘Bigger picture’ 5 N/A
Ability to build trust with, and support council
members
4 N/A
Teamwork 4 N/A
Ability to ‘sell’/promote housing strategy to
diverse audiences
3 N/A
Ability to influence the allocation of resources 3 N/A
Enthusiasm 3 N/A
Undertaking and evaluating options 2 N/A
Commissioning of consultants and service
providers
2 N/A
Flexibility 2 N/A
Project management 2 N/A
Ability/willingness to learn 2 N/A
Understanding the planning process 1 N/A
Ability to understand disciplines and roles 1 N/A
Ability to plan 1 N/A
Understanding government agenda 1 N/A
High level of academic/professional
qualifications
1 N/A
Homelessness knowledge 1 N/A
Other 9 N/A

36
Q16 Please say how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements in
relation to your own authority:
Figure 7
77%
79%
40%
82%
75%
39%
Please say how strongly you agree or disagree with the
following statements in relation to your own authority
Difficult to attract people with
right skills into strategic
housing
Housing strategy not
sufficiently recognised
as a professional route
Housing as a profession
compares favourably with
other professions as a
career for graduates
2008 2007 % saying agree
Q17 How satisfied are you with the overall degree of support and buy-in to
developing and delivering the housing strategy within your authority?
Table 11
2008% 2007%
Very satisfied 30 20
Fairly satisfied 51 53
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 4 13
Fairly dissatisfied 14 12
Very dissatisfied 1 1
Don’t know * *

37
Q18
Figure 8
83%
91%
82%
77%
84%
73%
How satisfied are you with the degree of support you get from each of
the following?
Your chief executive and
other more senior
colleagues
Officers within the housing
department
Elected members
2008 2007 % saying satisfied

38
Q19
Figure 9
Please say how strongly you agree or disagree with
the following statements in relation to your own
authority…
99%
91%
87%
85%
81%
69%
69%
63%
62%
98%
85%
86%
70%
80%
68%
64%
60%
Delivering the housing strategy is more of a priority for
my authority than it was a year ago
Development of a housing strategy is a key
priority for the Local Strategic Partnership in my
area
Housing is adequately represented in our
Sustainable Communities Strategy
The strategic housing role occupies a crucial
position on my authority’s agenda
The success of the strategic housing function is
monitored and evaluated in my authority
Housing has a key role to play in the
Local Area Agreement
The development of an effective housing strategy
is a key priority for my authority
The housing strategy fits well with other
corporate strategies
It is part of my responsibility to raise the profile of
housing within my authority
2008 2007 % saying agree
Not asked in 2007

39
Q20
Figure 10
Can you tell me how effective you think the policies you have in place
as part of the housing strategy are at meeting the needs of the
following groups?
42
87
66
46
11
28
12
12
2
6
188Older people
BME communities
People with disabilities
Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals
% saying effective % saying not effective % saying don’t know
Q21 How effective do you think your housing strategy is in tackling worklessness?
Table 12
2008% 2007%
Very effective 4 N/A
Fairly effective 32 N/A
Not very effective 54 N/A
Not at all effective 6 N/A
Don’t know 4 N/A

40
Q22 Very briefly, what would you say are the main barriers for your authority
in developing and implementing your strategic housing role?
Table 13
2008 % 2007 %
Finances/funding issues 26 33
Lack of resources 25 33
Recruiting/retaining suitable staff 21 20
Partnership working 14 11
Lack of understanding housing
strategy role
13 8
Lack of land site availability 12 10
Planning issues 10 4
Capacity issues 9 11
Meeting needs of affordable
housing
9 N/A
Lack of support/guidance from
government
9 N/A
Political barriers 7 11
Raising profile 7 7
Member buy-in/lack of buy-in 7 N/A
Competing priorities 6 N/A
Lack of members support 4 6
High land/property prices 4 6
Lack of time 4 3
Transition to a unitary authority 4 2
Poor development framework 4 N/A
None/nothing 3 N/A
Our size/small organisation 3 N/A
Poor infrastructure 2 N/A
Dealing with Gypsies/Travellers 1 N/A
Transferring housing stock * 1
Other 11 10
Don’t know 3 2

41
Q23 The IDeA and CIH are keen to provide support for local authorities in
delivering your strategic housing role. How do you think they can best
do this?
Table 14
2008% 2007%
Sharing best practice 33 36
Training 27 27
Provide more
advice/guidance/Information
24 17
Continued professional support 18 8
Seminars 16 10
Lobbying on behalf of strategic
housing authorities
14 8
Raise profile of housing 9 19
None/nothing/happy with the
service
6 N/A
Access to funding 5 5
Peer reviews 4 7
Promoting strategy 4 4
Provide updates/policy briefings 3 11
Mentoring 3 3
Networking 3 N/A
Consultancy services 2 5
Improved joint working between
organisations/departments
2 4
Carry out inspection 2 N/A
Have more contact 2 N/A
Benchmarking services 2 N/A
Clearer information 2 N/A
Publications 2 N/A
More influence over allocation of
resources
2 N/A
Carry out review 1 N/A
Acting as advocates on behalf of
local authorities
1 N/A
We use other external agencies 1 N/A
Provide research data - 5
Other 9 8
Don’t know 4 7

42
Q24 Finally, can you confirm your job title?
Table 15
2008% 2007%
Head/Manager of housing services 34 32
Head/Manager of strategy and
enabling
28 36
Head of community and
development
9 2
Principal housing officer 5 2
Housing policy officer 5 4
Director of housing 5 6
Director of community services 4 5
Head of environmental health
and housing
2 2
Director of strategy * 1
Director * 1
Other 13 7
Don’t know * *

43
• 2008 results are based on 52 responses to the online questionnaire recorded between 30th
May- 4th
July 2008
• 2007 results are based on 95 responses between 23rd April- 24th
May 2007
• Where results do not sum to 100, this may be due to multiple responses, computer
rounding or the exclusion of don’t knows/not stated
• Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
Q1 What would you say are the two or three main priorities that your authority’ is
aiming to address with its housing strategy?
Figure 1
89%
50%
40%
31%
21%
21%
17%
6%
4%
4%
2%
Main priorities
Base: 52 Chief Executives responding online between 30th
May- 4th
July 2008
What are the two or three main priorities that the authority is
aiming to address with its strategy?
Assessing need
Making sure we know what housing is available in area
Ensuring planning policies support needs of community
Building housing’s corporate profile
Appendix 3: Results from the chief executive officer follow-up survey

44
Q2
Figure 2
Please say how strongly do you agree or disagree
with the following statements in relation to your
authority
96%
92%
92%
85%
84%
82%
80%
71%
68%
52%
16%
95%
88%
89%
76%
92%
75%
57%
27%
Base: 52 Chief Executives responding online (2008) (95 Chief Executives in 2007)
2008 2007
Housing is given insufficient priority within my authority
Delivering the housing strategy is more of a priority
now for my authority than it was a year ago
Staff involved in delivering the housing strategy are
representative of the communities they serve
The development of a housing strategy is a
key priority for the Local Strategic Partnership in
my area
Housing has a key role to play in the
Local Area Agreement
The strategic housing role occupies a crucial
position on my authority's agenda
It is part of my responsibility to raise the profile
of housing within my authority
Housing is adequately represented in our
Sustainable Communities Strategy
Success of the strategic housing role is monitored
and evaluated in my authority
The housing strategy fits well with other
corporate strategies
The development of an effective strategy is a
key priority for my authority
% agreeing
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007
Not asked in 2007

45
Q3 As chief executive, how well informed do you feel about your own
authority’s housing strategy?
Table 1
Q4 As chief executive, how satisfied are you with the level of information you
receive about your own authority’s housing strategy?
Table 2
2008% 2007%
Very satisfied 56 49
Fairly satisfied 38 46
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 4 4
Fairly dissatisfied 2 1
Very dissatisfied - -
Q5 As chief executive, how often are you kept informed about your authority’s
housing strategy?
Table 3
2008% 2007%
On a daily basis - -
On a weekly basis 12 4
On a monthly basis 46 42
On a quarterly basis 25 35
On a six-monthly basis 2 6
On a yearly basis 2 2
As and when 13 11
Q6 Is this frequency of information sharing comparable to that for other strategic
functions?
Table 4
2008% 2007%
Yes, it is comparable 86 77
No, it is more regular 8 11
No, it is less regular 6 13
2008% 2007%
Very well informed 60 59
Fairly well informed 38 40
Not very well informed 2 1
Not at all informed - -

46
Q7
Figure 3
98%
91%
90%
90%
88%
87%
84%
66%
24%
17%
99%
92%
91%
95%
94%
91%
91%
58%
32%
25%
How effective would you say is the strategic housing team’s
relationship with each of the following departments within your
authority in helping to deliver any strategic housing objectives?
Planning
Environmental
Legal
CEO
Finance/treasurer
Property/estates
(Corporate) policy
Leisure
Social services (unitary only)
2008 2007
Education (unitary only)
% saying effective

47
Q8 If you could improve relationships with any of your internal partners,
which two or three would have the most impact on helping your
authority to deliver its housing strategy?
Table 5
Planning 62%
Finance/treasurer 40%
(Corporate) Policy 29%
Property/estates 27%
Legal 21%
Environmental 19%
Social Services (unitary only) 10%
Chief Executives 10%
Leisure 6%
Education 4%
Q9
Figure 4
90%
85%
71%
56%
53%
50%
44%
38%
81%
75%
63%
72%
60%
47%
35%
Thinking about any partnerships with each of these organisations,
please could you rate how effective that partnership is in helping to
achieve any strategic housing objectives?
Local developers
LSP
Private landlords
Consultants
(as part of LAs or regeneration orgs)
Social services (districts only)
Other county council departments
2008 2007
Not asked in 2007

48
Q10 If you could improve relationships with any of your external partners,
which two or three would have the most impact in helping your authority
to deliver its housing strategy?
Table 6
Local Developers 58%
Private Landlords 38%
Health Organisations 33%
Local Strategic Partnerships 29%
Other County Council Departments (districts only) 23%
Social Services (districts only) 21%
Public Sector Economic Development (part of Las
or regeneration organisations
10%
Consultants -
Q11 How effective do you think your housing strategy is in tackling worklessness?
Table 7
Very effective 4%
Fairly effective 21%
Not very effective 62%
Not at all effective 4%
Don’t know 10%
Q12 Compared to a year ago, how engaged are you in your authority’s strategic
housing function?
Table 8
More engaged than you were one year ago 40%
Just as engaged as you were one year ago 69%
Less engaged than you were one year ago -

49
Q13 The IDeA and CIH are keen to provide support for local authorities in
delivering the strategic housing function. How do you think they can
best do this?
Table 9
Sharing/providing good practice
Providing guidance/advice and information
Mentoring
Workshops
Training
Addressing of funding and financial allocation
Support for members
Capacity building
Ensuring cross authority partnerships and
collaboration
Support for the delivery of affordable housing
through the use of the planning system
Working group at national level

50
Key statistics from the programme:
• The programme has engaged with 330 authorities to date (of a possible 389 and
excluding those who helped shape the programme or attended launch events);
• 197 authorities have engaged in intense support activities (peer work, tailored support,
Rural Excellence) ;
• 114 authorities have taken places at one or more of our training courses;
• 209 authorities have taken part in sub-regional support events;
• 126 members from 94 authorities have been through the 5 Leadership Academies;
• 79 authorities helped to scope and shape the programme;
• 9 Regional Resident Involvement Champions are in place;
• Across all programme activities and all evaluation questions (April) 2008 – September
2008, 91.4% of respondents thought that the programme activity had given them a
good basis for further improvement (an increase on the first half of the programme);
• 96.5% of respondents would recommend the IDeA to other authorities (an increase on
the first half of the programme).
At the start of the programme, the IDeA agreed four overarching objectives with CLG.
These are to support local authorities in improving their ability to:
• understand the relationship between housing, planning and the economy –
better place-shaping;
• ensure effective strategic planning – better alignment and co-ordination of
housing strategies, Local Development Frameworks and Sustainable
Community Strategies, impact through Local Area Agreements;
• deliver through partnership – RSLs, ALMOs, developers landlords, LSPs and
internal local authority partners; and
• involve residents and communities.
Appendix 4: Overview of IDeA’s Strategic Housing Programme

51
Understanding the relationship between housing, planning and the economy –
better place-shaping
A large part of the work of the Strategic Housing Programme has been to run tailored
workshops for authorities or groups of authorities to help them understand the links between
housing, planning and the economy and to become better place-shapers. 63 authorities
invited the IDeA to run bespoke workshops to help them better understand aspects of the
place shaping agenda.
The Strategic Housing Programme also teamed up with a number of specialist housing
organisations such as the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA), Chartered Institute
of Housing (CIH) and Housing Quality Network (HQN). These organisations developed and
ran a series of training courses which were well received. The BURA housing and
regeneration course was particularly helpful in ensuring delegates gained a better
understanding of housing’s role in place-shaping with delegates feeding back their progress
through a dedicated Community of Practice. 42 authorities have been through the BURA
training which is still ongoing. The IDeA is also sponsoring two places at the CIH and BURA
Sustainable Communities Masterclass 2009.
Ensure effective strategic planning – better alignment and co-ordination of Housing
Strategies, Local Development Frameworks and Sustainable Community Strategies,
impact through Local Area Agreements
Helping the sector understand housing’s role in the place-shaping agenda has led to a marked
improvement in local strategies being joined-up and co-ordinated. The programme has
worked with a number of districts and their county partners to ensure appropriate housing
related targets are incorporated in their Local Area Agreements and across the country,
National Indicators NI154 and NI155 (delivery of net additional homes and affordable home)
are in the top ten indicators in Local Area Agreements.19
The programme also worked with a
number of single tier authorities, often in a ‘critical friend’ capacity through the use of sector
peers or commissioning of sector experts.
Furthermore, the programme has worked closely with the Planning Advisory Service
(PAS) to develop and deliver joint support activities to help local authorities bring
their housing and planning functions closer together. Aligning housing and planning
19
See IDeA’s analysis of Local Area Agreement targets, available at: http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/aio/8762092).

52
documents through the local development framework has been a key message of the
Strategic Housing Programme.
Deliver through partnership - RSLs, ALMOs, Developers, Landlords, LSPs, internal
local authority partners
Partnership working, whether with internal or external partners, has continued to be a key
theme of the strategic housing programme. 209 authorities have taken part in a sub-regional
strategic housing support activity to help foster better working relationships between local
authorities within Strategic Housing Market Areas or Local Area Agreemnt areas. The
programme has also piloted the first sub-regional peer review and nine authorities have been
involved in two such reviews with a third review scheduled for January 2009.
Working in partnership with PAS, the programme developed a bespoke housing and planning
workshop and this has been delivered 17 times over the course of the year. Other more
tailored sessions have often included good practice on housing and planning working together
and planning is a large section with the strategic housing leadership academy. In attempting
to address the relationship between housing and the economy, the programme worked with
CIH to produce a briefing paper offering a framework to explore the links and make better
strategic decisions to inform local delivery.20
Over the course of the strategic housing programme, IDeA has worked with a number of
partner organisations. Often, local authorities invite their partners to attend IDeA events or
members of the Strategic Housing team have spoken at a range of conferences hosted by
and for partners. Janet Dean, in her capacity as IDeA National Advisor for Strategic Housing
has spoken at conferences run by HQN, CIH, Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS),
National Housing Federation (NHF), Northern Housing Consortium and many others. This has
ensured that key messages on partnership working have reached a wide range of audiences.
Involving residents and communities
As part of the IDeA Strategic Housing Programme, nine regional resident involvement
champions have been established, using seed funding from the Strategic Housing Programme
and identifying future sustainability plans, including working closely with TPAS. Working with
20
IDeA, East Midlands Development Agency, CIH, 2008, Housing and the economy – integrating
strategies. Available at:
http://www.cih.org/policy/housing-economy-sept08.pdf

53
the Improving Housing Services by Involving Tenants Beacons of 2006, the programme has
ensured a legacy of resident involvement support for the sector. The champions will be
working in their regions to build networks, share good practice and be a first port of call to
support local authorities and their housing partners in ensuring resident involvement is of an
excellent standard. Some of the activities already undertaken by the champions have been:
• a member event highlighting the importance of resident involvement;
• series of events in a number of regions to launch the programme and start to build
networks;
• official launch at the CIH conference;
• website – www.resident-involvement.org.uk;
• linking up with the Housing Corporation Gold Award winners; and
• speaking at a number of engagements including the Northern Consortium and CIH
conference.
A large part of ensuring good involvement with residents is ensuring that local elected
members understand their role in delivering two-way messages between the authority and its
residents. Early on in the programme and in response to the first skills audit, the strategic
housing programme sought to actively work with members to improve their understanding of
the strategic housing agenda. To date, 107 members from 82 authorities have been through
the Strategic Housing Leadership Academy with a further 25 members scheduled to attend
the final one in November. As well as dedicated training programmes, the programme has run
a number of member workshops in local authorities which have been well received. A recent
member workshop on the Fylde Coast showed 100 per cent of attendees found the event
provided them with a basis for further improvement. The programme has also produced a
number of guides aimed at members which have been sent to all portfolio holders and are
available to download on the website (www.idea.gov.uk/housing).
The programme has extensively used member peers, accredited through the IDeA’s peer
accreditation process, to deliver key messages to other elected members. This is a highly
effective way of ensuring peer-to-peer messages get across well. Greater Haven Gateway
authorities asked the programme to provide a member peer to talk to a large group of their
members.
Over 20 member peers have been deployed on Strategic Housing Programme activities
ranging from all political parties and all types of authorities. In the recent Gypsy and Traveller

54
member workshops in the South West (attended by members from 12 authorities), 85 per cent
of delegates felt the input from the member peers was good or excellent.
Skills improvement
As well as agreeing a number of overarching objectives for the programme, the Strategic
Housing Programme also undertook to improve the sector’s skills in delivering the strategic
housing function. To do this, IDeA teamed up with a number of specialist housing
organisations such as HQN, CIH and BURA to develop a series of training courses which
could then be run on a charged basis once the programme had ended. To date, the following
courses have been developed and run at least once with partner organisation:
• housing and Regeneration – course aimed at senior managers improving their
understanding of the role housing plays in place-shaping, developed in partnership
with BURA.
• skills for success – course aimed at improving middle manager skills, developed in
partnership with CIH. This course is going to be rolled out across the country from
January 2009.
• housing finance – course aimed at helping strategic housing officers understand
housing finance better, developed in partnership with HQN.
• development economics – course aimed at helping housing and planning officers
understand development economics in both the public and private sector,
developed in partnership with The Place Team.
Officers from 114 authorities took up places on one or more of the training course listed
above.
In the South West, the IDeA, working in partnership with CIH and Asset Skills, has developed
and apprenticeship scheme aimed at getting young people into housing careers. Due to be
launched from September 2009, this scheme will help retain skills in the South West (housing
supporting a wider set of economic development challenges) and also offer better life
opportunities to ten young people a year. If the scheme is successful, Asset Skills will be
looking to roll this out nationally.

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