Council Looks To Increase Number Of HMOs

Current HMO planning laws allow properties to be converted to house from three to six unrelated people. Planning policies introduced to manage the growth in HMOs have been associated with issues such as parking and noise control. Northampton Borough Council are looking to update this policy to allow more HMOs in the area, to provide accommodation for key workers and students, and has appointed Loughborough University to carry out a study across the borough. Read more on 24housing.

http://www.24housing.co.uk/news/council-looks-to-increase-number-of-hmos/

Sleeping Rough Is 'Lifestyle Choice', Council Report Claims

Sleeping rough is now a lifestyle choice for some, according to a Northampton Borough Council report. Leading councillors at the Conservative-led authority are expected tomorrow to approve a new strategy to reduce rough sleeping in the borough. A report to be considered by the authority’s cabinet said: “Northampton now has an established community of people who are choosing to sleep rough as a lifestyle and are resolutely refusing to leave the streets.” It notes people are doing this even though “sleeping rough is very dangerous” and detrimental to health. It also said a “significant proportion” of the rough sleepers are unemployed European migrants. Read more on the IBT website.

Name Selected For New ALMO

Northampton Borough Council has announced the name of the new Arms’ Length Management Organisation (ALMO) that will take on the management of the Council’s housing stock. In January 2015 Northampton Partnership Homes will be responsible for the management of over 12,000 council homes. This will be a new start for tenants, delivering a financially sustainable way to update the Council’s housing stock and provide local people with decent homes and improvements in service. The new name was selected by Borough Councillors, tenants and employees in the Council’s housing team.  Read more on the Northampton Borough Council’s website.

Council to Create New 12,000-Home ALMO

Northampton Borough Council has confirmed plans to set up a new ALMO (arm’s length management organisation) to manage 12,100 homes on its behalf.  The decision, which was made at a council meeting last week, has been welcomed by the The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA). The council will now begin the process of setting up the organisation which is expected to go live in January 2015.  Read more on the Northampton BC website.

Northampton Council Plans to Set Up ALMO

The future management of homes owned by Northampton Borough Council is to be considered at a special Cabinet meeting on December 4. Over the past 15 months, an in-depth review has been carried out into how Northampton’s 12,100 council homes are maintained and managed. The review is now complete and has recommended that housing is transferred to an ALMO.  The review has been carried out by two panels, one of tenants and one of housing staff. They have looked in detail - using advice from experts in finance and property - at the work needed to raise the standard of homes and neighbourhoods and how this could be funded. Read more on the Northampton Council website.

Council Approves Plans to Halve Waiting List

Northampton Council has approved plans that will slash its housing waiting list by more than half.  Councillors have backed changes that will see 5,396 households removed from the waiting list, which currently contains around 10,500 households.  Under the new rules restrictions will be placed on the housing waiting list, barring households with no ‘local connection’ and those with a single annual income of more than £30,000 or a combined annual income of more than £50,000. The changes will also mean households will be struck off the waiting list if they have not bid for a home in 12 months, or have refused three offers of housing within the same timeframe. Read more on Inside Housing.

Council Set To Remove 5,000 from Waiting List

Northampton Borough Council’s cabinet will discuss proposed changes to its housing allocations policy which could see more than 5,000 people removed from its housing register.  The changes proposed in the policy include reclassifying and removing some priority bands in its housing register: these are bands C&D and consist of tenants who joined the waiting list with no specific or immediate need and who, due to housing availability, would not receive a property until their needs changed.  The changes proposed would also see the introduction of flexible tenancies which would be offered for a minimum of five years. Read more on 24dash.