§ Baroness Macleod of Borveasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to give local authorities guidance on the private sector housing renewal provisions in Part I of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Earl Ferrers)DOE circular 17/96Private Sector Renewal: A Strategic Approach is being sent to local authorities today. We have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of each House.
The circular takes account of changes to the system of house renovation grants made by Part 1 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 which will come into force on 17th December. The circular updates and consolidates in one document all previous guidance on private sector renewal and emphasises the need for local authorities to develop strategies to make the best use of the powers and resources that they will have for promoting private sector renewal. The guidance was prepared with the help of an advisory group of local authority practitioners and has been subject to consultation with the local authority associations and other interested organisations.