industry news
Another ALMO is scrapped in Nottinghamshire
A Nottinghamshire council has decided to scrap its ALMO, bringing housing services back under its direct control and saving half a million pounds a year. Following a test of opinion exercise with
tenants, Ashfield District Council voted to end its contract with Ashfield Homes for the management and maintenance of its 6,800 homes. The ALMO had managed the council’s stock since 2003, but the council is now exercising a break clause in the 25 year contract. Council leader Cheryl Butler said she was
pleased with the consultation outcome, which saw two thirds of respondents supporting the council’s plan to bring management of the service back in-house. An increasing number of councils are
scrapping deals with their Arm’s Length Management Organisations as financial pressures grow with 1 per cent rent cuts in the next four years being imposed by the Chancellor, and Decent Homes work programmes largely completed.
Savings
Butler added: “For the district, we have to continue to be more efficient, working smarter and providing better value for money, all while still delivering quality council services. Running the housing service as a separate function is costly and not as efficient as it could be. Returning the service to the direct control of the Council means tenants will still get the quality service they need, delivered by the same front line staff, and the money saved will be reinvested in council services.” The savings are expected to come from
the deletion of duplicate posts, particularly at senior management levels and in sharing services and office accommodation. As well as improving housing services, the council is hoping to build more new housing in the district and better align housing with its other services and priorities. The move had been strongly resisted
by the ALMO with Peter O’Brien, chair of the Board of Ashfield Homes expressing his disappointment at the decision. “We will, of course, continue to support
and deliver services to our tenants to the highest standard, whilst working with the Council during the transitional period. Whilst we regret the Council’s decision, we respect the Council’s right to deliver direct services if they consider it to be in the best interests of tenants.” The number of ALMOs delivering
management and maintenance services for councils has halved in the last six years and the changes at Ashfield are expected to take effect from next April.
12 | HMM May 2016 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
Four London universities see student rent strike
Students from four universities in London have staged a rent strike protesting at the high cost and poor condition of their accommodation. In the latest action, which organisers say is
the largest rent strike in recent years, it is believed over 1,000 students were involved. They were from University College London (UCL), Goldsmiths, Roehampton and the Courtauld Institute. UCL students were also involved in protest
action last year and were awarded large sums in compensation over poor conditions in their halls of residence. The students want recent years’ rent increases to be reversed. The latest action started at UCL earlier in the year before being joined recently by students at the other colleges. Their average weekly rent is understood to be about £180 a week. Their action is being supported by the
National Union of Students who are calling on universities to provide affordable accommodation and ensure fair access for every student.
Campaign could spread
They say that London students involved in the action will be touring campuses around the country next year to inform other students of their experiences and to urge them to stage similar campaigns. Shelly Asquith, NUS vice-president with responsibility for welfare, said: “The NUS fully
supports the actions of the students on rent strike and the wider campaign for fair rents. If a national rent strike for affordable student housing were to happen, the union would support it 100 per cent.”
“Their action is being supported by the National Union of Students who are calling on universities to provide affordable accommodation and ensure fair access for every student”
Figures from the National Union of Students
show the cost of student accommodation has more than doubled in the past ten years, pushing living costs for a student outside London to more than £12,000 a year. This could push more students into
attending universities closer to home and living with their parents. The Higher Education Statistics Agency reports that over 322,000 full-time students were living in their parents’ home in the UK last year, up by 45,000 on five years earlier. The UK still differs from most of the rest of Europe where far more students live at home.
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