The Housing Forum is launching a national drive to double its membership to 200 housebuilders and registered social landlords
The best-practice body, set up by the government in 1999, hopes more members will help it fund research and raise its regional profile.

It will hold a conference early next year and send out mailings as part of the campaign.

Judith Harrison, the forum's project director, said the move was part of a broader reorganisation of the forum, which became part of new construction umbrella body Constructing Excellence last year.

Harrison also scotched rumours that the forum was being wound up. It was set up to run for three years, but last year the Department for Trade and Industry extended its lifetime for two more years.

Harrison said it had conducted a survey of its 103 members to get their views on whether its work should continue.

She added: "The responses to us continuing our demonstration projects and research were overwhelmingly in favour. A lot of members were under the impression that we were winding up, so this is something we have to address."

Current research projects include an off-site manufacturing group chaired by Simon Dow, chief executive of the Guinness Trust.

Harrison was speaking as the forum published its annual report for 2002/03, in which it revealed that it had income of £455,000 last year. This comes from membership fees and government funding.

Source

Housing Today