Residents’ Commission Says Council Houses Should Be Transferred To Community Ownership

Hammersmith & Fulham’s pioneering Residents’ Commission on Council Housing has recommended that the council transfer ownership of its homes to a local, not-for-profit, community-owned housing organisation. The proposals are contained in the final report of the independent commission, established to report on the future of council housing in Hammersmith & Fulham. The council will make a final decision at a cabinet meeting on 7 December. Read more on the Hammersmith & Fulham website.

Tenants Serve Transfer Notice on Council

Council tenants on two estates facing demolition have served notice of plans to transfer the homes into community ownership, as they seek to halt a controversial £8bn regeneration scheme. The regeneration of the area surrounding the Earls Court Exhibition Centre by developer Capco has been opposed by residents of nearby West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates since it was first approved in 2011. The tenants have notified the council of their intention to transfer the homes into community ownership under Section 34 of the Housing Act. The legislation forces councils to cooperate with tenants’ stock transfer requests. However, under the rules, the council can object to ministers if it “can show clear evidence of a significant detrimental effect on the local authority’s ability to provide housing”. Read more on Inside Housing.

ALMOs Look To Lenders to Safeguard Future

Work is under way to investigate self-financing options for ALMOs, to safeguard a future with less state funding. The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) is exploring ‘community ownership’ models that would allow ALMOs to raise private finance to support public funding. The NFA is due to report on its progress in the Spring. The models range from initiatives that would see the ALMO no longer 100% owned by the council, to the council transferring stock to the ALMO but where the local authority would still retain a financial interest in the stock. As the Decent Homes programme comes to an end, some councils have taken their ALMOs back in house, while others have transferred homes to a housing association. However, one idea gathering pace is the merger of councils’ housing services to create ‘super ALMOs’, streamlining costs and resources. This model is currently being trailblazed by four councils in east Kent with a number of London boroughs said to be considering the model. The east Kent ‘super ALMO’ is due to be up and running in April 2011. The NFA has stressed the need for ALMOs to explore other avenues other than the Decent Homes programme. Read more on 24dash.