Elaine Woodburn, makes no excuses for the severe criticism in the Audit Commission Report of Copeland Council’s strategic approach to housing. She believes that we ought to be grateful to the auditors for showing us where we have missed opportunities to serve the most disadvantaged members of our community and has taken the lead in preparing an action plan to redress all the significant failures which the report has highlighted.

When the Council transferred its housing stock to Copeland Homes it did not appreciate the extent of its responsibility for developing a housing strategy to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community. Its housing officers were not given sufficient authority or power to demand the necessary resources. It took too little care to help people with communication difficulties to find out about their rights and responsibilities, and especially to support people who were threatened with homelessness. It failed to provide housing in the borough for women and children fleeing domestic violence or other vulnerable groups, such as former prisoners trying to re-establish themselves in society. It had "made no use of the measures available to it to secure affordable housing over the past six years." It had allowed private developers to build large estates of "executive homes" without using its powers sufficiently to require a quota of houses that could meet the needs of families on low incomes. It is impossible to summarise such a lengthy and detailed document in the space of this article, but readers may go to the website:

www.audit-commission.gov.uk

to read the full report.
The embarrassing truth, which Elaine has no wish to evade, is that no officer or councillor fully understood the council's duties and opportunities to manage housing in the interest of those in greatest need. The opportunities highlighted in the report are still there, however, and the action plan has been drawn up to make sure that these will be grasped in future. It has appointed a Housing Services Manager, a Housing Strategy Manager, and a Housing Renewal Manager, with duties to meet specific targets in reducing homelessness and require developers to provide for a wide range of needs in mixed estates. A forum for landlords is already being developed where they and the council can consider the needs of their tenants, and it will enforce action when properties are left in a poor state of repair. It will provide advice to families threatened with homelessness and set up a Homeless Prevention Fund. The council website will be urgently upgraded to include information forms, letting people know how they can get in touch with the housing services they need. It will offer translation services for those who need them.

"Why can't politicians see that they would gain trust and respect and be more listened to if they were publicly 'vulnerable' on occasions, admitting mistakes, miscalculations, such as every other human being has, instead of trying to remain 'strong'?" asks David Wood, (page 17) in one of the most important political statements we have published. In admitting past mistakes and taking action to learn from them Elaine is showing strong leadership. At whatever level of government, we must make the most of our opportunities, while they still remain, to stand up for the people who need our support. Nothing is more important than that.