Housing Corporation to review the costs and benefits of regulation

The costs and benefits of housing association regulation in the UK will come under scrutiny at the request of the Housing Corporation, the UK Government agency responsible for regulating and investing in over 2,000 housing associations in England. Frontier (London) were comissioned by the Corporation to identify and quantify the costs and benefits that regulation brings to the housing association sector, residents and society at large. The project will be overseen by an advisory group to include representatives from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, HM Treasury, the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission. As part of the process Frontier will be looking in depth at the impact of regulation on a number of housing associations. Bob Dinwiddy, Housing Corporation Assistant Chief Executive Regulation said: "Just as we try to promote greater efficiency in the sector, so it is important for us to promote our own continuous improvement. We have already reviewed our regulatory approach, and we are now making the recommended changes. As we implement these changes we need a better feel for the areas that give best value and those that impose greatest cost. We have chosen Frontier Economics for their detailed knowledge of government best practice in evaluation and cost benefit analysis, and their experience of various regulatory regimes. Their team also includes extensive experience of the housing market and financing arrangements." The project is expected to report the final findings to the advisory group in the Summer.