The national Housing Federation's new director of policy has set out an agenda that includes lobbying the government to boost funding for the cash-strapped South-west.
Danny Friedman, who has been head of resources, research and information since 1999, will succeed Liz Potter as director of policy on Monday.

His priorities include placing an early bid for the 2004 spending review and plugging the resourcing gaps in the Communities Plan (see below). The latter would include provision for the South-west, which missed out on much of the funding under the plan (HT 15 August, page 24).

Friedman said: "With all spending reviews the trick is to make your case, back it up with evidence and get it in early, but also to be realistic. There's no point in us presenting a proposal if we know it will be rejected.

"We've got to run in parallel with the government agenda.

"My background is in research and facts and empirical data, and you learn that the numbers are pure and it's what works that counts."

Friedman, who is well-respected as a researcher, has previously worked for SHAC (London Housing Aid Centre) and has worked on the housing front line at Southwark council and the Family Housing Association.

We’ve got to run in parallel with the government agenda

Danny Friedman, NHF

Potter, who is stepping down to spend more time with her family, said: "Danny is clever, capable and knowledgeable. His first-hand experience of how associations work will ensure a practical approach to policy-making."

Friedman himself cited pragmatism as the reason for the NHF's decision not to join a sector-wide coalition of groups campaigning against proposals to strip housing benefit from antisocial tenants (HT 15 August, page 12).

He said he doubted that docking benefit is the most sensible way to deal with the problem, but would prefer to consider it in the context of alternatives before throwing the NHF hat into the ring. "I wouldn't call it a fudge, I'd call it a fairly honest position," he said.

The Housing's Better Future rebranding project is another priority. Friedman will oversee the Action for Change programme, Potter's swansong, which will be part of the iN Business for Neighbourhoods launch at the annual conference in September. Friedman will preside over the actual programme.

Friedman’s six-point agenda

  • Housing’s Better Future: “There are regional issues, in the South-west for example, and we will certainly be lobbying for [there to be a] round two of the housing market renewal pathfinders.”
  • 2004 spending review: “Delivering and showing that we can deliver … come first before we start making heavy demands of government.”
  • The sector’s financial capacity: “If paying grant to developers will result in more production of better units better managed, I couldn’t disagree. But I don’t think that case has been made.”
  • Supporting People: “We’ll be taking a detailed look at the fall-out of the first round shortly.”
  • Regulation: “The sector needs to take responsibility itself for its own regulation.”
  • Housing benefit reform and rent restructuring: “You can’t divorce rent restructuring and housing benefit reform. If you’re trying to encourage tenant choice through the benefit system, how can you tell landlords that they’ve got to set rents at a particular price?”

Source

Housing Today