As the dust settles...

...from the whirlwind caused by the spending review, it is perhaps time to take a breath and work out how we can make progress in spite of the challenges that lay ahead. I would like to return to the theme of regulation, and I suppose that the news on this could have been much worse than has actually turned out. Although the TSA as a separate organisation will be abolished with the main functions passed to an 'independent' section of the HCA, there is still a commitment to setting national standards for the social housing sector and for a reduced inspection role, albeit undertaken by the private market once the Audit Commission has gone the same way as the TSA. (I can hear the pencils being sharpened at the big consultancy firms as I type!). There is also a continuing commitment to self regulation and a role for tenant scrutiny, through tenant panels. I, like many others, will be studying the details closely, and starting to prepare a response to these changes. My first thoughts are along the lines of preparing specific training and learning packages aimed at housing professionals and tenants on how to develop their new roles and the skills that will be required to achieve success. I would be interested to hear from social landlords about how they see this progessing and what kind of issues they see as being important in developing tenant led scrutiny.