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I have already used this column to express my concerns about the prohibition on transfers of more than 12,000 units to any one landlord, so the news that the Office of Deputy Prime Minister will relax this rule is welcome.

It encouraged authorities to squeeze under the wire in an unbecoming statistical limbo dance and, more importantly, it forced the largest authorities to set up groups on day one. In areas where local independence is important this was sensible; in others it was unnecessary and forced tenants and officers to don contractual straitjackets.

It is worth emphasising that the ODPM is not encouraging centralisation. It remains, rightly, committed to localism – but localism delivered through a structure which suits local circumstances rather than simply following a government rule.

The relaxation gives yet more impetus to the search for creative solutions to the "mix and match" problem. Merely removing the group structure imperative is not enough but it is certainly a real help. For example, it might bring the community gateway association model into play. The devolution route built into the model might encourage the adoption of an umbrella

CGA at the outset of a metropolitan transfer with subsequent cascades of autonomy in a way, and at a pace, that suits tenants. This must be the way forward.