Northern Irish associations get new regulator

Housing associations in Northern Ireland will have an extra regulator after the creation of a new Charities Commission for the region.

All of Northern Ireland’s 40 housing associations have charitable status and will come under the control of the new regulator immediately, the Department for Social Development said.

Associations are already regulated by the DSD, but many will need to adjust their annual reports to better illustrate the public benefit they provide in line with charity legislation, said Seamus Murray, head of the charities implementation team.

But he added that the change will not create much extra work as associations already produce annual reports and accounts for public view which can be copied to the new commission.

‘There is a principle regulator in place, what needs to be done is to make sure they meet the requirements of the charities legislation as well. That should not be a big ask for housing associations,’ he said.

Chris Williamson, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, said the DSD had pledged not to duplicate regulation and he hoped this would work in practice.

‘Anything within reason that increases public confidence in the workings of charities has to be welcomed,’ he said.

The new non-departmental public body to regulate all Northern Ireland charities was launched this week after it established under the Charities Act (NI) 2008.