Local Authority Housing: New
Roles and Challenges
Introduction: Past two decades very
difficult for local authority sector in Irland.
 Sector has suffered from declining
reputation, poor standing relative to other
tenures, poor morale within housing
departments, questions and doubt about its
future role in the housing system.
 Experience not unique to Ireland, also
evident in otherNewEuropean
countries.
Roles and Challenges
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Social Housing Trends in Europe
Key features of European Social Housing
since mid 1970’s
 Onset of Residualisation
 Segregation and Differentiation of
Municipal and Local Authority rented stock
 Impact of Management Weakness
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Onset of Residualisation
Onset of Residualisation marked by a
number of trends:
 Change in social composition of tenants
 Higher proportion of poorer and
marginalised households
 Shift from mass role to welfare role
 Departure of better off tenants and
households
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Segregation and Differentiation
Segregation of local authority and
municipal stock from mainstream social
housing.
 Increasing association with “problem
estates”.
 Many estates marked by racial tension,
social problems, isolation and exclusion
from surrounding areas.
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Management Weakness in
Municipal Sector
Management often seen as remote,
bureaucratic and unresponsive to tenant
needs.
 Lack of response especially to peripheral
high rise estates fed into disenchantment
with sector as a whole.
 Poor structures of tenant consultation and
communication.
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Reasons for Decline
Decline in level of political support for
Social Housing in most European countries
from mid 1970’s onwards.
 Changes in nature of subsidy and financing
of social housing, greater targetting at poor
households.
 New emphasis on policies of privatisation,
demunicipalisation, transfer to new landlord
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Decline in Political Support
Perception that ‘post war’ housing problems
had been solved.
 Wider dissilussionment with role and
performance of welfare state.
 Emergence of New Right and emphasis on
rolling back the state, reliance on markets
and private provision, cutting public
spending.
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Changes in Subsidy and Finance
Shift from producer subsidy to consumer
subsidy
 Introduction of Housing Allowances
 Market rents spurred departure of better off
tenants.
 New incentives to expand home ownership.
 Restructring and contraction of private
rental sector.
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Policies of Privatisation and
Deregulation
Widspread deregulation of social landlords:
reinvented as commercial landlords.
 Sales to tenants of dwellings especially in
UK
 Opt out legislation reduced role of local
authorities through establishment of
Housing Action Trusts, LSVT.
 LA landlords left with poorest stock and
poorest tenants
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The Irish Experience.
Broad similarities with European Trends
 1980’s Policies aimed at reducing absolute
and relative size of sector:
 Capital cutbacks, 1984 Surrender Grant
Scheme, 1988 Tenant Purchase
 1990’s Focus on broadening alternatives to
Local Authority provision
 Critique of management and practice
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models

Alternative Sources
Plan for Social Housing, implicit criticism
of Local Authority housing performance.
 Proposed range of alternative housing
providers from social and voluntary sector
to supplement output of local authorities.
 Also offered schemes to promote shared
ownership, rental subsidy, capital assistance
 Co-ordinating and Promotional role for L.A.
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Management Reform
Reports of Housing Management Group
(1996, 1998) offered recommendations on
good housing practice:
 Better co-ordination between sections
involved in housing provision.
 Stronger focus on estates
 Better implementation of tenancy
agreements, responding to anti-social
behaviour
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Reform of Housing Practice
More efficient, effective and closely
monitored maintenance service
 Better mangement of lettings
 Debvelopment of communications and
consultation with tenants
 Better training and development of staff
 Development of performance indicators
 Introduction of I.T. for management info
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Constraints on Good Practice
Barriers to imlementing good pracice
guidelines of a structural nature outside
direct control of housing depts.
 Local Governenment versus Local
Administration: Deskbound & Rule Driven
 Dual Sysem stronger influence of technical
grades “bricks and mortar” view
andabsence of active management response
to problems
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
Constraints on Good Practice
Industrial relations: Rigid work
practices,restrictive work practices
inefficiencies and resistance to change
 Overemphasis on physical aspects of
estates, refurbishment and rehabilitation to
cure all problems, absence of community
development or social dimension
 Rental income below management and
maintenance costs, revenue pressures on
local authorities
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Constraints on Good Practice
Relationship of LA with DoELG based on
narrow auditing culture
 Absence of strong strategic leadership from
DoELG which could turn tradition of
centralisation in positive direction.
 Generation of knowledge: monitoring of
housing management performance,
efficiency of maintenance, defining and
assessing problem estates etc.
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Future Challenges
Critical role in alleviating housing need,
largest providers of non-market housing.
 Return to large scale provision ie pre 1980’s
should be restored - to between 20% and
30% of new provision via mix of LA and
voluntary providers.
 Creative responses to meeting need should
be explored eg turn key developments,
acquisitions.
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Future Challenges
Housing practice and management reform
still sporadic and fragmented. Continuing
reliance on initiative of individual officers
rather than organisational and structural
change.
 Role of IPA Housing Unit as strategic
resource in offering research, evaluation and
training to housing departments especially
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Future Challenges
addressing the information deficit.
 Defining and applying criteria of housing
performance; assessment of responsivness,
and efficiency of maintenance services,
correlation of national data on voids and
abandoned dwellings; extent and
effectiveness of tenant participation,
detailed picture of tenant population.
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Future Challenges
Preparing LA for new sources of demand eg
racial and ethnic minorities.
 Assessing performance of SPC’s role in
developing greater co-ordination within
housing sphere.
 Long term aim: Broaden remit of LA
housing beyond welfare housing as way of
eliminating social segregation from the
system.
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