The government has admitted that it has no idea how much money it spends on housing renewal in the most deprived areas of England

and is planning to commission research to find out.

Housing Today understands that the ODPM only has evidence from before 2001 of how much of its £50bn annual spending programmes hit the housing targets outlined in the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal, published in 2001.

The department is also in the dark over how effective its spending through bodies such as the Housing Corporation, English Partnerships, the nine housing market renewal pathfinders and local authorities has been in tackling the housing element of neighbourhood renewal.

The only area it can approach with any certainty is the £525m neighbourhood renewal fund, which is administered to the 88 most deprived wards in England by local strategic partnerships.

ODPM officials hope that a “mapping exercise” across its spending will allow it to work out whether its resources are helping areas with the highest concentrations of deprivation.

A well-placed source said: “Nobody’s really got an overview of where the money is being spent, which is quite concerning really, especially given the sums involved.”

An ODPM spokeswoman said: “We have not commissioned research along these lines, though of course the ODPM has been in regular touch with housing specialists about potential subjects for research.”

Source

Housing Today