Housing and Planning Act 1986

16 Housing management; financial assistance, etc.

In Part XIII of the Housing Act 1985 (general financial provisions), after section 429 insert—

“429A Housing management: financial assistance etc.

(1) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give financial assistance—

(a) to persons managing public sector or former public sector housing, and

(b) to persons seeking to facilitate or encourage improvements in, or providing services in connection with, the management of such housing;

and may, with the like consent, make payments otherwise than by way of financial assistance in pursuance of arrangements made with any such person.

(2) For this purpose—

(a) " public sector housing" means housing accommodation in which an authority or body within section 80 (the landlord condition for secure tenancies) has an interest by virtue of which it receives a rack-rent, or would do so if the premises were let at a rack-rent; and

(b) " former public sector housing" means housing accommodation in which such an authority, or a predecessor of such an authority or an authority abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 formerly had such an interest.

(3) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give financial assistance—

(a) to persons providing educational or training courses in housing management,

(b) to persons providing services for those providing such courses, and

(c) to persons providing financial or other assistance for those attending such courses ;

and may, with the like consent, make payments otherwise than by way of financial assistance in pursuance of arrangements made with any such person.

(4) Financial assistance given by the Secretary of State under subsection (1) or (3) may be given in any form, and may in particular be given by way of grants, loans or guarantees or by incurring expenditure for the benefit of the person assisted; but the Secretary of State shall not in giving such assistance purchase loan or share capital in a company.

(5) Financial assistance may be given and other payments made on such terms as the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Treasury, considers appropriate; and the terms may, in particular, include provision as to the circumstances in which the assistance or other payment must be repaid or otherwise made good to the Secretary of State and the manner in which that is to be done.

(6) A person receiving financial assistance under this section shall comply with the terms on which it is given and compliance may be enforced by the Secretary of State.”.