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Mark Easton
Home editor
Stats watchdog to investigate building data release
"One or two people are not overly happy…"
I have just taken a call from an official at the Department of Communities (DCLG) following my post on the housing stats yesterday and my appearance this morning on the Today programme.
I am told that ministers reject any suggestion that they timed their big announcement on building affordable homes to come 24-hours before the worst-ever statistics on building affordable homes.
However, my observations on the fanfare for a set-piece political release one day before the quiet publication of pertinent and troubling official statistics have led the watchdog UK Statistics Authority to say they are "looking into the issues raised."
The senior DCLG official who called me said that the timing of the housing strategy had been decided, not by a wish to pre-empt some horrible data, but by the demands of the prime minister's diary and his desire to mention housing in his speech to the CBI on Monday.
"I can honestly say that at no time did the publication of house-building statistics the next day have any bearing on when to put out the housing strategy," the official told me.
My question to him was: "Well, shouldn't it have?"
The point is that the DCLG were told on 19 October that new house-building figures would be published this week. Because of changes to the way contracts for affordable housing projects are conducted, they had very good reason for suspecting the statistics would look really bad.
And yet, they insist that at no time in discussion with Downing Street officials on the release of the housing strategy did they even mention the imminent arrival of official and grim building stats.
"We are damned if we do and damned if we don't", the official complained. "If we had managed it so that they were not at such close quarters then we could be accused of undermining confidence in statistics and trust in politicians."
That may be true, but in considering the timing of political announcements like the housing strategy, should ministers not think long and hard about the possible perception that they are also news-managing the publication of official statistics?
One could argue that the release date of major government reports should have less to do with No 10's desire to get a quote from the PM in the papers and more to do with ensuring we have the most informed public and parliamentary debate.
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Comment number 1.
cyclecommuter24th November 2011 - 14:58
he has a point "dammed if the do and dammed if they don't" Mark Easton is spinning a story out of the proximity, but had they cancelled the Stategy announcement he would be spinning a story out of that. And if they moved it away from the stats release, he'd be spinning a story that they were news managing that. Any fool can play this game. Mark shouldn't be playing the fool nor should the BBC.
Link to this (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
BluesBerry24th November 2011 - 18:21
What's the difference as long as information important to DCLG gets public attention? DCLG Chairman Margaret Hodge did mention, when allocating Formula Grant, responsible officials seem to prioritize keeping funding levels stable. Therefore, 1/5 authorities end up receiving 10% higher or lower than their actual needs. Incorrect funding is important.
Link to this (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
BluesBerry24th November 2011 - 18:32
Chairman DCLG pointed out 3 approaches to formula funding were currently under review. DCLG findings found some of data used by depts in calculating relative NEED was as much as 10 years out of date e.g. based on 2001 census data. Incorrect data usage is also a problem.
Link to this (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
TSArthur24th November 2011 - 20:01
Well done Mark Easton this is really good story about cynical Government being economical with the truth ie. stats show Government is useless on affordable housing . Also can't see how small sums now allocated will change much by this time next year.
Link to this (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
watriler25th November 2011 - 8:53
Had these stats been issued only a week earlier there would not have been a story in addition to the problem described by the figures. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the timing was to avoid any personal embarrassment to the PM. So in addition to trying to explain the appalling reduction Shapps had to account for the timing today on R4. 1/3 through their term and still more excuses.
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Comments 5 of 14