Purpose

To provide the Executive with an overview of the proposals contained with the Government’s consultation on Reducing the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, and to seek approval for the submission of the consultation response attached at Appendix A to this report.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a consultation document called “Reducing the prevalence of private estate management arrangements”. 

The consultation focuses on tackling the growing issue of unadopted amenities on privately managed housing estates in England, where roads, drainage systems, green spaces, and other communal infrastructure are maintained by private estate management companies rather than public authorities.  The government is concerned that this trend has led to unfair charges, poor transparency and limited homeowner rights, creating significant consumer detriment.

The government recognises the importance of new housing supply to meet national demand and proposes to deliver reform in parallel with wider housing ambitions, including building a record number of new homes, while making sure that public services are sustainable.

The consultation sets out that the government aims to:

·         reduce reliance on private estate management and increase adoption of amenities by public authorities

·         implement common standards for adoptable amenities to improve quality and consistency

·         explore mandatory adoption for certain public amenities, while considering exceptions for premium or exclusive features

·         remove perverse incentives that make non-adoption attractive to developers

·         improve data transparency, homeowner protections, and dispute resolution mechanisms

·         consider prohibiting embedded management arrangements and promoting resident-controlled management

·         assess financial sustainability of estate management charges and introduce affordability safeguards

·         seek evidence on impacts for homeowners, developers, local authorities, and management companies.

The consultation aims to better understand the root causes and incentives that have led to the rise of unadopted amenities and what options for reform exist. It is recognised that the options for reform being explored through the consultation are far-reaching and have implications for housing supply and local authority budgets.

The consultation is open to a number of organisations not just local authorities, including housing developers, highways authorities, utility companies, resident- controlled management companies, private management companies and Registered Providers of Social Housing.

The consultation is being considered by the Planning Strategy Advisory Panel on the 25 February and any matters raised by the Panel will be provided to the Executive to consider as part of their decision making.

The consultation closes on 12 March 2026.

Decision

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  approves the proposed response to the consultation on Reducing the prevalence of private estate management arrangements set out at Appendix A to the report, incorporating any changes if necessary;

(b)  requests that Officers submit the response to the consultation to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by the 12 March 2026; and

(c)   delegates authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration, following consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Regeneration to make minor amendments in line with the recommendations made by the Advisory Panel,