Description
Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was launched on 1 January 2018 as the operating name of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) alongside the removal of the Agency's regulatory role (by The Legislative Reform (Regulator of Social Housing) (England) Order 2018).
HCA was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.
On 17 January 2007, Ruth Kelly announced proposals to bring together the investment functions of the Housing Corporation, English Partnerships and parts of the Department for Communities and Local Government to form a new unified housing and regeneration agency. It would also incorporate the functions of the Academy for Sustainable Communities and the government's advisory team for large applications.
In the following months, Martin Cave, Director of the Centre for Management under Regulation at University of Warwick, led the most comprehensive review of English housing regulation for 30 years. Reporting in June, the Cave Review recommended that a new regulator be set up, separating the regulation and investment responsibilities of the Housing Corporation.[6]
On 15 October 2007, Yvette Cooper announced that the Government accepted the recommendation of the Cave Review to transfer the Corporation's regulatory powers to an independent body, subsequently named as the Tenant Services Authority (TSA).[7] The new investment body was initially announced as "Communities England", and later renamed as the Homes and Communities Agency.
