Newham's mayor has used a report to the housing minister to call for local authorities to be given the same rights and powers as housing associations. Sir Robin Wales urged Yvette Cooper to allow councils to build new homes and receive housing corporation grants. He argued that councils needed the ability to keep capital pooling receipts to fund shared equity schemes or for other housing assets. It came as part of Newham's response to the Government's housing Green Paper, published in July this year. ‘We would like to see an approach to housing which permits a great deal more local flexibility within the national framework,' Sir Robin said. He also called for a wider debate on housing policy. ‘We should think about social housing in relation to rights and responsibilities,' he said. ‘Concentrating those with the greatest need in social housing creates sink estates, where social problems compound social problems.' The Housing Corporation and Local Government Association have called on councils to think laterally about new developments to deliver the government target of building three million new homes by 2020. One suggestion, set out in a letter to all council chief executives, is to consider the option of selling surplus land at below market value.
