Ian Doolittle

Ian develops models and structures for resolving financial pressures and delivering new build and other housing solutions. His expertise has led him to advise on restructuring Housing provision by Councils and other public bodies, including recent work on the Social Housing Reform Programme in Northern Ireland. He assists his clients in finding a way through both financial as well as legal difficulties and byanticipating policy changes and new legislative provisions. He is an expert on the Housing Revenue Account. He served on the Government's expert panels on Self-financing while the system was being developed. Ian is the author of the Trowers & Hamlins Unofficial HRA Manual and is frequently consulted on HRA issues. His recent work has included the establishment of local housing companies, working with colleagues on over 100 commissions so far. Ian led the firm's teams on over 70 housing stock transfers, including most of the major and complex ones. Many of the transfers he led involved innovative approaches, to address constraints imposed by Government and/or to deliver the specific aims of transferring councils. Ian was also closely involved in setting up many arm's length management organisations (ALMOs), having drafted the model documentation and advised on the underpinning policy. He has continued to work with ALMOs on longer term, new-style Management Agreements and on their more regular legal needs. He is at the forefront of the development of public sector housing law and policy. He regularly engages with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Association of Retained Council Housing and the National Federation of ALMOs. Ian has regularly been acknowledged as a leading individual and leader in his field in both Legal 500 and Chambers and Partnersguide to the legal profession in the fields of both local government and social housing.