The Homes and Communities Agency has hit back at allegations it has funded substandard housing through the 拢1.06bn Kickstart programme as the political row over the scheme escalates

The HCA has been under fire since it emerged that 54% of the 136 schemes in the programme to restart stalled private sites scored less than 10 out of 20 in an assessment by Cabe. The HCA has been under pressure after refusing to release the details of what each of the schemes scored.

However, HCA chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake this week said many of the schemes were simply scored down because builders didn鈥檛 provide all the information for Cabe鈥檚 assessment, and that every scheme rated poorly had been subsequently double-checked by the HCA for quality.

Kerslake said that after further examination, schemes鈥 scores had risen, with one moving from a score of 1.5 to 16.5. Kerslake said another development moved from a score of 5.5 to receiving a 好色先生TV for Life silver standard from its local authority.

The HCA refused to disclose the names of the schemes in question, and added that it had not rescored the schemes itself so was unable to provide overall data for the shift in scores.

Kerslake declined to criticise Cabe, maintaining that the 拢250,000 assessment costs were worthwhile for highlighting schemes that needed extra checks.

He said: 鈥淪ome schemes didn鈥檛 include the full information, as Cabe wasn鈥檛 asked to do more than a desktop exercise, and other schemes had wider contextual issues, such as amenity space having already been provided.鈥

However, Matt Bell, director of external affairs at Cabe, said the body stood by its assessments and piled further pressure on the HCA. He said: 鈥淵ou can tell very clearly from the plans that most of the schemes will not provide well designed homes, on a well laid-out site. Even with full information, most are clearly never going to be good enough.鈥

Kerslake did accept that the level of design in a number of cases was not the 鈥渁spirational鈥 standard the HCA would seek in housing it had commissioned itself.

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