The Government's drive to deliver much needed new affordable homes and safeguard higher housing standards for eight million social housing tenants took another step forward as the Housing and Regeneration Act gained Royal Assent.

The new Act, will: help address the shortage of affordable housing for first-time buyers and families through the establishment of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA); give social housing tenants a better deal with the creation of the new Tenants Services Authority (TSA) and make new housing greener to tackle climate change.

Housing Minister Caroline Flint said: "This Bill is one of the most important pieces of housing legislation in recent years. Not only does it ensure we have the most efficient way of delivering the much needed housing this country needs, it also gives millions of social tenants more say in the provision of their housing, ensuring they get a fairer deal."

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The Act will establish the HCA which will for the first time bring together responsibility for land and the money, in order to deliver new housing, community facilities and infrastructure. From early December, the HCA, headed by Sir Bob Kerslake, will ensure that homes are built in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way, as well as promoting good design. The HCA also has a key role to play in regenerating communities. It will base its regeneration approach on the Government's regeneration framework - Transforming Places; Changing Lives. This will ensure decisions on regeneration are made as locally as possible, and that access to jobs is a key decider in the location of new social housing.

The TSA, led by the Chief Executive Peter Marsh, will regulate social housing landlords, setting high standards of management across housing association and at a later date local authority social homes. It will also listen to tenants' concerns and use its powers to make sure tenants are getting a good service. Empowering people is the cornerstone of the Government's recent White Paper Communities in Control and the TSA is just one way in which tenants will have a greater say in running of their communities. The TSA will also have powers to cut red tape for high performing registered social landlords and the ability to take action where tenants are not getting a fair deal.

(CD/JM)