There are a number of key concerns facing us all across the country. People are worried about their jobs, being able to pay their mortgages or rent, and anxious about the falling value of their properties. For first-time buyers, the price correction is welcome, but the questions now are where to find a mortgage, and when to enter the market. And those who bought at the top of the market will probably have a number of years of negative equity to deal with. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), with a national responsibility for housing and regeneration in England, has certainly launched itself at one of the most challenging times it could. However, the agency, under the leadership of Sir Bob Kerslake and Robert Napier as chief executive and chairman respectively, has produced a good set of results for 2008/9. The programme budget for 2008/9 was £3.89m, and the agency spent to programme almost exactly. The target for housing completions was exceeded, as was the creation of new employment space and brownfield land reclaimed for good use. But there are big challenges ahead for the agency, and if there is one thing which keeps the motivation running at full throttle, it's working with local authorities to provide the best housing outcomes – place making, where the infrastructure of services is invested in, alongside the bricks and mortar. We are being flexible with our funding. But where we need to bring resources forward, this may mean there will be less in future. We must fine-tune – expectations must be managed, and every pound spent will have an outcome focus. Big challenges lie ahead, and we all need to respond and work together to deliver what our residents deserve. Richard Ennis is corporate director of finance and corporate services at the Homes and Communities Agency
