Introduction

In recent years, the notion of partnership has become a cornerstone of social housing and of the institutional arrangements that underpin the provision of social housing services. Partnerships of many different kinds now provide the organisational and institutional ‘glue’ for housing policy implementation, for the delivery of local social housing services, and for incorporating end-users in decision making, evaluation and regulation. As Malpass (1997) observes, this ‘new governance’ of housing reflects the climate of fundamental institutional, organisational and managerial change in local government and the public sector as a whole (see also Stoker, 1997a, 1997b).

This chapter explores partnership activity in social housing at an operational level. It discusses definitions of partnership in social housing and sets out the policy context for the development of operational partnerships, before highlighting the key themes in this area of partnership activity in social housing. It then draws on recent research to focus on five main areas of operational partnership activity, looking at patterns of activity in each of these areas. It concludes with an assessment of the prospects for the development of operational partnerships and the place of partnership activity in housing service delivery.

The place of partnership in social housing

The term ‘partnership’ is used in a number of different ways in housing policy and practice. ‘Partnership’ and ‘working with partners’ is presented both at national policy level and at local project level as a necessary part of the implementation and service delivery process. For example, the Housing Green Paper, Quality and choice: A decent home for all (DETR, 2000) declares that tenants, residents, housing associations, private sector landlords, housebuilders, voluntary sector agencies, black and minority ethnic community representatives, parish and town councils, planning departments, health authorities, social services and the police should be seen as the ‘key partners’ of local authority housing services in the development of local housing policies (DETR, 2000). There is also an expectation that housing services will work increasingly in cross-functional partnerships in order to tackle the more complex and intractable challenges presented by socio-economic disadvantage and ‘problem’ housing estates. Thus, the Green Paper stresses the importance of housing services being part of, among others, Crime and Disorder Partnerships, Health Improvement Partnerships, Supporting People Partnerships, Connexions Partnerships for young people, the work of the Regional Development Agencies, Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund projects, the New Deal for Communities, and so on.