Praise and warning as housing programme ends

A Government watchdog has revealed its final verdict on the programme set up to transform communities and the housing market in Rochdale and Oldham.

Oldham and Rochdale Housing Market Renewal will cease operations this month after the Government ended funding seven years ahead of schedule.

A final report by the Audit Commission on the impact of the Rochdale and Oldham programme says it has met or exceeded almost all of its plans since it was set up in 2004. The Commission says the programme has: 

• attracted £335 million investment on top of its own £200 million funding
• created or preserved 2,400 jobs
• acquired 1,200 properties
• demolished 1,500 properties
• improved 3,500 homes and built 450 new ones 

But the spending watchdog report warns that major challenges remain across Rochdale and Oldham as the HMR programme closes its doors for good.

The report states: “Despite the progress, major challenges remain. The Credit Crunch led to fewer houses being built than planned…Oldham and Rochdale are still areas with a fragile economy. Unemployment is significantly above average, while skills levels and house prices remain low.”

Oldham Rochdale HMR Chair John McGuire said: “The Audit Commission highlights our single biggest concern.

“As we told the Communities and Local Government department last summer, pulling out now leaves a job half done.

“We still have residents who wish to move to better accommodation, however, and on a positive note, we will see new houses being built within the next few months in some areas which was always the intention.”

The report noted that the Pathfinder has made significant progress in its 'first wave' intervention areas (Rochdale and Langley in Rochdale borough), enabling remodelling of social housing estates, and the clearance of vacant and redundant residential and commercial properties. New high-quality homes have been built with a high degree of community involvement and support.

The Pathfinder has also successfully prepared land so it is ready for developers to make progress building hundreds of new homes across neighbourhoods. Building work is expected to begin this year at sites across both boroughs.

The Audit Commission’s role has been to assess the pathfinders’ performance since the programme began in 2003.