Commentary Background
12.In December 2007, the report of the Councillors Commission Representing the future(1) was published. The report was an independent review of the incentives and barriers to serving on councils. In July 2008, the Government provided a response to the report in The Government Response to the Councillors Commission(2) which was published alongside the White Paper Communities in control: real people, real power(3) which set out the Government's proposals for empowering local communities. Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5 of Part 1 follow on from those papers.
13.The creation of a National Tenant Voice was one of Martin Cave’s recommendations in his review of social housing regulation (Every Tenant Matters (June 2007))(4). Martin Cave recognised that whilst social landlords have well-established organisations in place to represent them at national level (not least in discussions with Government and the TSA), tenants lack such representation.