Wigan Council To Consult On Scrapping ALMO

Wigan Council will consult on scrapping its ALMO and bringing housing management back in-house. The council reviewed Wigan and Leigh Homes and a subsequent report published by consultancy Deloitte concluded an in-house housing service would work better than the current ALMO set-up. Wigan and Leigh Homes was set up in 2002 and manages 22,600 homes. A report to the council said: “At the time, the formation of the ALMO was the correct decision, and was the only way that the council could have secured such significant investment in its housing stock.” Read more on Inside Housing.

Landlords Could Demolish Bedroom-Taxed Homes

Social landlords have warned the bedroom tax could lead to the demolition of homes as larger properties become increasingly hard to let in some parts of England.  Wigan and Leigh Housing, which manages 22,576 homes on behalf of Wigan Council, is one of several landlords finding it harder to let properties due to the under-occupation penalty, which cuts housing benefit for social tenants with spare bedrooms. The ALMO said it now has 17 vacancies in high-rise blocks because it is struggling to let two-bedroom flats because of the bedroom tax.  Read more on Inside Housing.