On the money

Large noticeboards on many a development site proudly proclaim that registered social landlords and councils are working together in a strong partnership. But even the most idyllic relationships can have their wearisome interludes. So let’s just run through some examples of areas with good cooperative potential – procurement, Supporting People and housing benefit.

Better procurement is on everybody’s agenda. If councils and RSLs put their heads together, there is surely some potential here. RSLs and stock-owning councils sitting in neighbouring offices may well be unwittingly commissioning similar housing maintenance or management services in similar geographical areas. Joint commissioning could cut set-up costs and even deliver keener prices. Councils and RSLs must use each other’s spare capacity to a mutual advantage. This is an area in which councils should be welcoming opportunities to exploit new charging and trading powers.

Councils could also do more to limit their demands on RSLs when it comes to council-led development opportunities. It may be local authority good practice to have lots of RSLs in the fight, but at what cost to the unsuccessful RSLs? And more radically, what about shared IT or professional services?

Supporting People seems to be another “could-do-better” area for council and RSL cooperation. In the short term, councils need to manage real-term reductions. But will the cost be shared, or will hapless RSL providers be called on to survive on a minus inflation figure? Will councils put in their own general fund resources to shore up this programme? Do RSLs get a level playing field with councils’ in-house services?

Councils could do much to minimise the administrative complexities of being a Supporting People provider (Try being an RSL provider working with many councils, each with its own subtly different contract, information requirements and so on).

Councils could do much to minimise the administrative complexities of being a Supporting People provider

Often, they can do more through their housing benefit service to help partner RSLs as well. There needs to be a shared agenda to get housing benefit payments running smoothly. Poor council performance in this area is a real bugbear for RSLs. It has to be asked whether the council is delivering a good service to RSLs in accordance with the Department for Work and Pensions’ performance standards.

So just in the few areas of procurement, Supporting People and housing benefit there seems to be plenty of potential for developing the council and RSL partnership. Opportunities arise not only for council housing directorates, but for social care directorates too. External residential social care placements are becoming a more and more expensive option for councils. Councils can work closely with RSLs to take the pressure off their beleaguered social care budgets, while freeing council resources for other clients.

Partnership can work well on a day-by-day basis – but it has to be about working together in a reasonable and businesslike way.