James Driscoll unravels the principles & practicalities of the Localism Act 2011
Some of the housing provisions under the new Act came into force on 15 January 2012 (under the Localism Act 2011 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provision) Order 2012 (SI 2012/57 (C.2)). The remainder are expected to come into force in April 2012. One principle underlying LA 2011, according to government, is to decentralise political decisions, and this informs many of the housing law changes in Pt 7 of LA 2011. Another principle is to allow local housing authorities the option of granting a secure tenancy for a fixed term rather than the current position where (usually) periodic tenancies are granted