A match made in heaven or barely able to stand each other – which describes your relationship with the councils and housing providers you have to deal with? On the eve of Valentine's Day, Housing Today asked readers how they felt about their partners.
How good is your relationship with your partner? Housing Today asked councils, arm's-length management organisations and housing associations that very question in an online poll of readers last week – and, despite the time of year, we weren't talking about hearts and flowers. We wanted to find out about the partnerships between these very different organisations.

There was a distinct lack of full-on passion but the responses showed an encouraging level of warmth and goodwill. Nevertheless, councils, ALMOs and associations alike clearly need to set aside some quality time to get a few things off their chests. Only three out of the 66 respondents said "we believe in going about things the same way"; 32 said "we have different priorities".

More than half the respondents from registered social landlords described their relationship with councils as "frustrating". "Relationships are all about give and take, but the trouble is we give and give and they just take – usually without saying thank you," said one. "It should be a two-way thing."

So, what would make RSLs feel better? "Local authority staff need to get real," said one housing association staffer. "A spell in a (semi)-commercial organisation would help." One respondent added: "Local authority members need to be less parochial."

Another said: "Councils should use Supporting People more like a carrot and less like a stick to beat associations with."

But councils don't entirely subscribe to housing associations' way of doing things either – and weren't shy about saying so.

"Some RSLs don't fully acknowledge their wider social responsibilities," grumbled one. Another said: "RSLs must understand that that not everyone in need of rehousing is a perfect 'picture-postcard' family."

Speaking a different language
When asked to rate relationships with their counterparts using the Audit Commission's own very romantic stars system, the result was pretty conclusively "good" – on the council side at least. In fact, it's a shame there's no extra cash up for grabs based on the result, because out of the 26 councils and ALMO staffers who took part, 15 – that's 58% – gave their relationship a two-star rating, and a further six said it was "fair". Prospects for improvement were felt to be "promising" (12), though nine said they were "uncertain".

But there seems to have been a lack of communication along the way because – from where RSLs are standing – things look less rosy. Out of 40 RSL respondents, the "good" and "fair" ratings were pretty evenly matched with 18 and 16 respectively – that's 45% and 40%. The verdicts of "promising" and "uncertain" prospects for improvement were also pretty even, at 17 versus 18.

In fact, communication appears to be the biggest problem. Fewer than a quarter of respondents said it was one of the strengths in the relationship, and more than half said they didn't talk enough; RSLs in particular tended to give this aspect of the relationship just one star out of three.

No wonder, then, that no one felt their partners had an excellent understanding of them. One RSL employee said: "There should be more understanding of each other's positions, less councils thinking housing associations don't operate in the real world and less housing associations thinking local authorities are incompetent, poor performers."

Almost everyone said communication and joint working should be improved, with job swapping, shadowing and secondments popular suggestions. Planning and customer care were singled out as particular stumbling blocks.

Yet for all their differences, nearly half of respondents agreed that "we have complementary strengths". One summed it up like this: "There should be a stronger feeling that we are all part of social housing. Not better or worse than each other, just different."

We don’t talk anymore

“All these different rules and regulations can cause a lot of friction, as no one is prepared to believe that they are wrong,” complained one council worker. “It would help if the local district council would stop their negative reactions to sensible suggestions,” said a housing association member of staff. “Every attempt to set up meetings and ideas of working partnerships is greeted with suspicion and cries of ‘not enough time’.” If these words ring a bell, try applying the secrets of successful communication, according to marriage guidance agency Relate:
  • Set aside time to talk when you won’t be interrupted. If your meetings are always disturbed by ringing phones or more pressing engagements, it’s no wonder you’re not getting anywhere.
  • Take it in turns to have air time. You could ask a colleague what you’re like to communicate with. Do you wait until the other person has finished before you chime in? Do you make sure you understand fully what has been said? Does your own view of the subject colour what has been said to you? Can you avoid interrupting, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable?
  • Try to tell your partner what you think or feel about something without blaming them. People are much more willing to take your view on board if they don’t feel like you’re getting at them.
  • If you need a change of scenery, you could suggest meeting somewhere outside the office, where you both feel comfortable, perhaps a cafe or restaurant.

… councils are from venus

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Within their own worlds there was perfect understanding but once they came to earth, amnesia set in. At least, that’s what the relationship bible by counsellor John Gray has taught us. But what does this mean for the world of housing associations and local authorities? First, local authorities are quite obviously primarily inhabited by Venusians. They are filled with caring, sharing people who value mutual understanding, offer help to those in need of shelter and have a wealth of general advice for others. Housing association people, most notably those who like building things, are Martians. They prize possessions, like to make things happen and fix stuff even if it’s not broken. The Martians don’t talk to each other very much and see meetings and endless discussions as a waste of time. They would prefer to go out on their own and do things, and think asking for help shows weakness. They inhabited different worlds until very recent times, when an alien culture decreed that Venusians could no longer build shelters and had to get Martians to do it for them. This pained the Venusians very much but, always long-suffering and good natured, they welcomed the Martians with open arms. Of course, the Martians misunderstood. They didn’t realise the Venusians wanted love and understanding. So even though the Martians provided shelter and fixed things for the Venusians, they still rode roughshod over them. The Venusians cried and took solace in each other’s company. Despite their disagreements, Venusians and Martians work well and produce lots of shelters. Venusian planning committees love to spend hours debating about pitch or mansard roofs, and are sometimes horrified that a decision has to be made at the end. They are growing to love meeting new people in regional and sub-regional groups, and look forward to sharing titbits from the single pot. Meanwhile, everything is about to change for the Martians as the Auditborealis Comissionus brings in new stars to complement the ambers, reds and greens of a world they previously saw only as black and white. The Venusians, meanwhile, are sitting in the corner having a quiet snigger.

Source

Housing Today

Postscript

  • Mike Kirk is development director (London) at Hyde Housing Association
  • Apologies to John Gray