§ Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bayasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is necessary for the Housing Corporation to be located in London; and, if not, what would be the estimated annual savings if it were located in Liverpool or a city with comparable costs. [HL2128]
165WA
§ The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker)The Housing Corporation is not located in London: almost 70 per cent of its 583 staff are located in regional offices across England, of which some 23 per cent are in regional offices in London. This reflects the regional nature of the corporation's regulation and investment business: over 64 per cent of the corporation's investment through the approved development programme is provided in London and south-east in line with government priorities.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering, within the Lyons review, the extent of the scope for more of the activity of the Housing Corporation to be located outside London. There are no estimates available of the costs of relocating the corporation's work.