By Neil Merrick
9 October 2009
Companies set up by local authorities to attract government grants for decent homes face being wound up.
Councils are considering whether to scrap arm’s-length management organisations in favour of other management options. Most Almos are set to complete their multimillion-pound refurbishment programmes in the next two years.
Councillors in Ealing were meeting on October 8 to discuss whether to end the west London council’s contract with Ealing Homes in 2011. Last year, the Almo received just one star from Audit Commission inspectors.
Options include taking the homes back in-house or putting the management contract out to tender. ‘Our aim is to create a more responsive system that gives tenants a greater choice in who manages their homes,’ said a council spokesman.
Hillingdon announced last month that it was to consult tenants over plans to wind up Hillingdon Homes, which completed its £60m improvement work two years ahead of schedule. The contract ends next April.
Deputy housing director Neil Stubbings said reforms to housing finance should mean that, in future, councils had similar opportunities to Almos. ‘Changes in flexibilities and freedoms promised for Almos have not materialised,’ he added.
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has set up a commission to look into the future of its stock – run by Rochdale Boroughwide Homes – and the impact of the abolition of the housing revenue account so that the council becomes self-financing.
At least four councils, including Stockton-on-Tees, are to ballot tenants over whether to transfer homes from their Almos to registered social landlords.
Gwyneth Taylor, policy director at the National Federation of Almos, said councils hoping to save money should bear in mind that many Almos had accepted reduced management fees while bringing in extra money for the authority.
But reforms to the HRA system were bound to change the way council homes are managed. ‘Potentially it changes the whole map and gives more weight to traditional local authority-retained stock,’ she said.
9 October 2009
Companies set up by local authorities to attract government grants for decent homes face being wound up.
Councils are considering whether to scrap arm’s-length management organisations in favour of other management options. Most Almos are set to complete their multimillion-pound refurbishment programmes in the next two years.
Councillors in Ealing were meeting on October 8 to discuss whether to end the west London council’s contract with Ealing Homes in 2011. Last year, the Almo received just one star from Audit Commission inspectors.
Options include taking the homes back in-house or putting the management contract out to tender. ‘Our aim is to create a more responsive system that gives tenants a greater choice in who manages their homes,’ said a council spokesman.
Hillingdon announced last month that it was to consult tenants over plans to wind up Hillingdon Homes, which completed its £60m improvement work two years ahead of schedule. The contract ends next April.
Deputy housing director Neil Stubbings said reforms to housing finance should mean that, in future, councils had similar opportunities to Almos. ‘Changes in flexibilities and freedoms promised for Almos have not materialised,’ he added.
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has set up a commission to look into the future of its stock – run by Rochdale Boroughwide Homes – and the impact of the abolition of the housing revenue account so that the council becomes self-financing.
At least four councils, including Stockton-on-Tees, are to ballot tenants over whether to transfer homes from their Almos to registered social landlords.
Gwyneth Taylor, policy director at the National Federation of Almos, said councils hoping to save money should bear in mind that many Almos had accepted reduced management fees while bringing in extra money for the authority.
But reforms to the HRA system were bound to change the way council homes are managed. ‘Potentially it changes the whole map and gives more weight to traditional local authority-retained stock,’ she said.
