Back to Basingstoke

As Chief Executive of the new Tenant Services Authority, Peter Marsh’s first and not inconsiderable task is to decorate an almost uncharted area of the social housing canvas.

The government’s newly-formed set-up, which replaces the Housing Corporation, has a true artist at the easel, and one whose own experience as a council estate resident leaves him more equipped than most to fashion the onward development of this innovative structure.

James Evans took Peter back to Oakridge Village in Basingstoke, the council area where he grew up, and one which over the past decade has seen an incredible transformation in its fortunes.

Walking around Oakridge, an almost entirely rebuilt pocket of Hampshire, it’s hard to think that this is the same area that, little more than a decade ago, was touchingly referred to by local residents as ‘the Basingstoke Beirut’, where crime, drugs and illegal subletting meant upstanding locals found themselves on first-name terms with all of the local law enforcers.

“Coming back to the place in which you grew up is a journey down memory lane,” Peter begins. “The trees I played around as a toddler are now fully grown and the roads are full of cars. My parents grew up in council homes and its where my brother and I spent our early years so I really do feel the depth of the role and the importance, as a regulator, of ensuring that all children in housing are able to make the most of their opportunities in the same way that I was able to.”

Oakridge is the perfect case study for full-circle social housing, with association landlords Sentinel having overseen a £30million investment run in designated partnership with residents and architects. Sensible planning saw the realisation of 300 modern properties on a space that previously contained only half that number, while a range of all-year-round community initiatives, from youth programs to free internet access, are a reference to the housing association’s pledge for tailored and area-specific development, and one that is based as much on demography as it is geography.

Oakridge is something approaching the perfect watercolour, but Peter accepts that the challenges of the TSA run deep and there are shades of darkness to overcome.

“Our responsibility is across four million homes and ten million people, plus another five million on housing waiting lists who would like to be in affordable homes but aren’t. Our balance sheets total more than £100billion, and if we don’t do the job well some of those tenants could be in severe danger given the current economic environment, so we have to get this right.”

For Peter, the role represents the dream task, with the versatility of talking to tenants, liaising with merchant bankers, and meeting with government officials, though he admits to being somewhat taken aback having landed the role after only a year as Deputy Chief Executive at the Housing Corporation following previous service in the education and healthcare sectors.

“There’s a feeling among some people that you need lengthy service within the housing association sector to be able to do the job, and I think that such a principle becomes problematic in that you’re not then bringing in new views from outside. Putting tenants or consumers at the centre of your business isn’t rocket science - supermarkets were doing it 20 years ago – and after all, everybody knows about housing, no matter what your background is. It’s just a case of applying knowledge and experience.”

And with the application of that beginning shortly, Peter has a careful and measured vision for the TSA’s development, operating, at first, under the Housing Corporation’s old powers, before going fully live with the new Act in a year’s time. And in everything he says, it’s clear that this is a man enthused by the opportunity of shaping a brand new organisation, with new people and an innovative vision and agenda.

“In its entirety it is a huge challenge, though in terms of priorities, we have to make it absolutely and fundamentally clear that this is a new set-up with tenants at its heart, whether they’re part of a housing association, or under the jurisdiction of a local authority,” he says.

“The development of our new TSA standards will involve the largest ever consultation with tenants. And yes, here we want to work with providers, for the prime purpose of enhancing our understanding of what tenants really want - this adds up to a complete break from the regulatory past, and a shift in the philosophy of what we’re about.

“Secondly, with the worsening economic conditions, we have balance sheets that are the most exposed they have ever been, so over the next nine months I need to make sure the teams who are working on the viability review of associations are totally on the button. We cannot afford providers to go bust, and we must ensure people are able to stay in their homes. Whatever else we may be talking about in changing the philosophy of the sector, viability is the bread and butter of regulation.

“And, looking forward, the aim is to try and establish the TSA as something of a thought leader; not some academic ivory tower organisation, but one that works in partnership with other people,” he continues. “There are probably a dozen areas of policy where the TSA can begin to shape the housing market in a way that it may become much more efficient, for both tenants and providers.”

So what of Oakridge now? Sentinel’s stewardship has utterly transformed quality of life, with an approach that is focused on locating any potential gaps between service level and expectation.

“I was born here, and I’m proud to say that this estate is a great example of somewhere that has totally understood the heart and mind discussion, and it is absolute proof that tenants and providers will win together by working closely and growing as one. If we can get that philosophical change embedded in boards and associations up and down the country, it will be a massive achievement.”