Welsh Journals

Seven of the ten authorities disaggregating their programmes in some way are under the median household size for Welsh districts. Similarly, the proportionately higher spending authorities do not dominate those disaggregating their investment programme; the same is true for spatial reference to local and structure plans. Overview When the 36 districts are assessed on all the yardsticks used, eight show no spatial analysis. A further eight make a spatial analysis in only one respect as measured. It must be borne in mind that only a weak test of spatial analysis is being applied; that is, the mention of a need or programme in such a way that a district's area is dis- aggregated. A more severe test, a minimum of systematic present- ation, would exclnde completely 22 of the districts. Even at the weaker level of inclusion, only five districts achieve spatial disaggreg- ation in at least four of the ways measured here. These five districts include rural and urban, large and small, and proportionately large and small intending spenders. Explanations other than these must be sought for spatial analysis in local housing investment. The most severe test of spatial analysis in housing investment is the relation of needs to programmes by areal disaggregation. None of the 36 authorities achieved a full and systematic presentation on this basis. No authority presented its strategy, numerical statement and investment programmes on a fully integrated but spatially disaggreg- ated basis. Instead, the HSIPs were written as a district-wide docu- ment, with at best some attention to spatial disaggregation, and at worst, none. As the assumption of a unitary housing market bounded by a district's boundaries will in most cases likely be invalid, the value of the HSIPs as planning and bargaining documents is weak- ened thereby. An alternative presentation, first, is to define spatial housing markets locally; for example, by making use of 1981 census data. Second, the numerical statement, strategy and resulting investment programme should be drawn up on this spatial basis, and then aggregated for the district. Such an alternative makes spatial inequal- ities in housing opportunities and public response clear. References Department of the Environment (1977) Housing Policy. Cmnd 6851, London, HMSvO. Prentice, R. (1982a) A note on the public place of spatial analysis in local authority housing investment, Cambria, 9, 49-60. Prentice, R. (1982b) The measurement of performance and housing needs in Welsh strategy statements, Housing Review, 31, 167-171.