Baroness Andrews was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the newly created Communities and Local Government in May 2006. Her role reflects and expands upon her previous position at the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). Her responsibilities include communities and local government business in the Lords; planning policy and casework; neighbourhood renewal; liveability; social exclusion and regional spatial strategies for the West Midlands, South West, North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber.
Tell us a little about your background and how you came to your role at the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
I grew up in a mining community in south Wales and I have had an interest in social policy and education for many years. In the 1980s, I worked with Neil Kinnock when he was Leader of the Labour Party to help develop our social policies in opposition. In 1992, I set up the education charity, Education Extra, which promoted out of school learning and activities and which developed ideas, such as Extended Schools and Breakfast Clubs.
Ten years later, I became a Government Whip on Health and Education, which meant I had a lot to do with taking through legislation, involving local authorities and community development. So, when I was offered the post in Communities and Local Government (ODPM as it then was) in 2005, I was delighted because it meant I could become involved in developing policies for housing and community regeneration (and social exclusion) that are very dear to me. It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to these sorts of policies that affect so many people in very important ways.
What do you see as the greatest challenges affecting you in this role?
Our work in Communities and Local Government covers almost the entire span of human experience! We all want decent homes, safe and clean streets and town centres, decent hospitals and social care whether we are young or old, and welcoming parks and green spaces. We all want to feel part of our community and that we belong there and our views are heard and taken seriously by local councillors and national government.
The greatest challenge for me, therefore, given that there are only 24 hours in the day is to make sure about priorities; to ensure the pressures to sort out immediate problems and issues don’t overwhelm the need for us to think in the long term about what our country should look like and be like in 10, 20 or even 100 year’s time. That means thinking hard about the challenges we face: an ageing society; protecting our heritage with the need to provide housing and services for the next generation; and how best we can involve the whole of our community in making these decisions.
What do you see as your greatest achievement so far?
I think this is probably something for other people to judge rather than me. However, I hope I have contributed to the growing sense that places really matter to people, and that they affect life chances and prospects very profoundly, and we need to spend time getting people and communities involved in making sure the neighbourhood where they live is as sustainable, as pleasant and as welcoming as possible.
Describe DCLG’s services and benefits.
The key thing about our title is that we are communities and local government – and it’s the first time any Government department has had that in its title. So we are about all the things that sustain communities and make them good places to live. That obviously involves planning for communities that are growing and changing; balancing our human needs with the need to protect our fragile environment (particularly in the face of rapid climate change); providing the housing and services that people need through strong and responsive local government; making sure people have the power to make changes they want to see in their neighbourhoods and no-one is disadvantaged by where they live; enabling communities to renew and regenerate themselves (this is where Neighbourhood Renewal, Neighbourhood Management and New Deal for Communities is so important); making sure all our regions and cities are all benefiting from a strong economy and new opportunities and challenges; and ensuring that all our communities can live successfully together – and that also means making a reality of the fact that everyone is of equal worth and should have the same opportunities and chances.
What do you think are the greatest problems facing the leasehold sector?
The leasehold sector holds a number of challenges. By its very nature the sector, and flats in particular, involve people who are living together in a close community, sharing common facilities and services. It is important therefore that these properties are managed in a professional and competent manner. This would be by the landlord, the leaseholders themselves as a result of buying the freehold or exercising the rights available to take control of the management of their homes, or by an agent acting on behalf of the landlord or the leaseholders.
We have improved the rights available to leaseholders through the provisions in the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, including making it easier for leaseholders to buy the freehold or extend their lease, or to simply have control over the management of their property. However, it is important to recognise that, as a community, co-operation and reasonableness from all those involved, landlords, leaseholders and agents alike, is an integral part of ensuring that leaseholders’ homes are adequately maintained and are places in which they want to live.
How do you believe the Olympics will benefit the leasehold sector?
It is difficult to say at the moment exactly what the impact will be upon the leasehold sector of the staging of the Olympics in London in 2012. However, the regeneration that will flow from the event will undoubtedly mean that it is important the tenures that are available such as commonhold and leasehold will meet the needs of the housing market in the 21st century.
Do you think that there is a greater role for mediation in the resolution of leasehold disputes?
Yes. Mediation should be encouraged and considered where it is possible for a leasehold dispute to be resolved using this forum in order to help where possible to avoid unnecessary litigation. It must be recognised however that mediation requires a willingness by all the parties involved to deal with the matter in this way. There may also be some disputes where mediation is not the appropriate forum. For our part the Residential Property Tribunal Service currently runs a small but successful mediation service in London, which is now being considered for use in the Panels outside London. The Leasehold Advisory Service, a Non Departmental Public Body sponsored by this department to give free initial advice on residential leasehold matters, is also running a pilot mediation scheme. I have to say, that having talked to several people who have used the leasehold service, that they have nothing but the highest praise for the advice and help provided.
The Government intends to make all private sector managers put the service charge monies for each block into separate bank accounts. Do you think this creates an unnecessary burden for managing agents and would it not be better to use the legal profession model and just have one client account? Given the large amounts of money that can sometimes be involved, transparency for service charge payers where their service charges are concerned is an important issue. It is important that service charge payers are able to know and establish that their money is being both held and used properly.
Whilst existing legislation provides for all service charges to be held in one or more accounts, in trust, this does not ensure that there is transparency in respect of monies held on behalf of particular groups of service charge payers. Our work continues on this requirement and at this stage we are not able to say what the final outcome will be.
Please comment on the cross-government strategy for older persons’ housing.
We are developing a National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society to address one of the biggest challenges we face: an ageing society. We have a choice. Either we embrace the opportunities it presents or be overwhelmed by it. The three principles underlying my approach are prevention, making older people much more powerful and creating cohesive, personalised services. Taking these principles forward we want to take a strategic approach that is a catalyst for innovation in all areas of housing for all older people, but ensuring that it will meet the aspirations of future older people as well.
Tell us a little about your non-professional interests.
My first love (outside my family and my work!) is music, and I sneak off whenever I can to the opera or to a concert. I play the piano and sing very badly. After that comes walking – which I try to do most weekends and every holiday because that is as good for the spirit as for ancient limbs as well. And I read voraciously – lots of biography and history particularly. I think my Welsh roots are beginning to show through!
Biography
Baroness Andrews OBE
(Elizabeth) Kay Andrews, OBE Baroness Andrews of Southover (2000), was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in May 2006. Her new role reflects and expands upon her previous position at the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, where she was appointed following the General Election of May 2005. Before being appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary, Baroness Andrews was a Government Whip and Spokesperson in the House of Lords for Health, Work and Pensions, and Education and Skills (2003-2005). Before being raised to the peerage, Baroness Andrews was a Fellow of the Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University 1968 – 70; Parliamentary Clerk in the House of Commons 1970 – 85; and Policy Adviser to Neil Kinnock as Leader of the Opposition 1985 – 92. From 1992 – 2002, Baroness Andrews was the Founder and Director of Education Extra, the national charity for out of school learning and activities. She received the OBE in 1998 for her work in education. She was educated at Lewis School for Girls, Hengoed, Ystrad Mynach and went on to study International Politics at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. At Sussex she took an MA in Political Sociology and subsequently a DPhil in History and Social Studies of Science. She has written books and articles on the history and organisation of science and technology policy, on poverty and social policy, and on education.
