Local councils are to be given more financial freedom to buy, build and improve social housing for their communities, reports build.co.uk.

Proposals have been announced by housing minister Grant Shapps which include granting local authorities with more discretion "to use and improve their council housing assets in a way that best suits their community."

The news could be of interest to those with housing associations jobs, who may find, as a result, much red tape disappears and decisions are easier to reach.

If the proposals are approved, it will mean that councils will no longer have to ask ministers for permission when it comes to trading their assets, enabling investment in new homes and local regeneration schemes.

The shift of power from Whitehall to councils and local housing authorities marks one of the "most radical reforms to social housing in a generation."  

Commenting on the plans, which have been submitted for consultation, Shapps told Regeneration and Renewal: "For years, councils have been hamstrung in their attempts to use social housing to its maximum effect, with a lazy consensus amongst politicians trapping one of our most valuable resources in a system that helps far fewer people than it should.

"I also want to end the complex regulations that make it difficult for councils to boost local investment in new housing. These changes will make the system fairer - councils will now be able to make decisions that genuinely meet the needs of local people and the changes will not affect any existing tenants."