Minister remains determined, despite delay
Author: Gary Horsley · Posted: May 29, 2007
Kelly says HIPs fully in place by year end
Within two days of being forced to delay and amend the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs), Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly was insistent that by the end of the year the scheme would be back on track. The introduction will now begin on August 1st rather than June 1st and will apply initially only to properties with four or more bedrooms but the minister is convinced that the scheme will be quickly be extended across all properties and will also soon be applied to rentals.
The delay was necessitated in part by the legal challenge mounted by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors – who claimed that there had been insufficient consultation on its introduction – and by the lack of accredited inspectors needed to carry out the energy performance assessments that have to be included in the packs. Whether this further setback to plans is just that – a delay that will be overcome – or a signal of something more terminal for the whole scheme, depends on whose point of view you prefer. As Ownerpack co-founder Philippa Jerram explains, Ruth Kelly’s conviction has its counterparts in the anti-HIPs campaign.
‘Groups that have been opposed to HIPs from the start are seeing the latest reversal as a victory that will be complete when Gordon Brown takes over as Prime Minister and decides he doesn’t want to be associated with a troubled policy. The fact that the minister went public in such an assertive manner at the weekend – granting one newspaper an interview that set out both her plans for the continued implementation of the scheme and how it fits in with the government’s high priority on affordable housing – suggests she isn’t planning to give up, despite the problems.
‘The next few weeks will determine whether the RICS is satisfied with the government’s concessions and whether it proves possible to get the inspectors needed into place in time for August 1st. The uncertainly in itself is something of a problem, feeding into decisions by trained energy inspectors to hold back from paying for accreditation, so we can expect the minister to be sending out more signals to inspire confidence.
‘We at Ownerpack will monitor developments over this period. We are still producing trial HIPs and streamlining our processes, ready for action when the final go-ahead is given. Even with the current delay, sticking our heads in the sand is not an option – whatever is decided, we will still be here ready to offer the service that the residents of this region deserve.’