Up In Arms: Are We Facing The Death Of The ALMO?

Created by a government now in opposition for a mission that is now almost over, it would be easy to assume that ALMOs are quietly disappearing from the housing scene. In the last few weeks both Sheffield and Islington councils have decided, in principle, to take their ALMOs back in-house. Another 14 councils have already taken back direct control of their council housing, or are in the process of doing so after work on the decent homes programme is complete. But if you were to conclude that we are now facing the death of ALMOs, you would be wrong. In many places, councils have looked at their ALMOs record on delivering services and involving tenants and decided they like what they see. It is hard to verify an exact figure, but records suggest that the majority of the 60 ALMOs that currently exist are likely to continue in some form – often with an expanded role. All of the ALMOs extending their contracts are not just extending the length of the contract but also extending their remit. Meanwhile new ALMOs have sprung up in Welwyn Hatfield and Kent. And councillors in Cornwall puzzling out how to manage housing in a new unitary authority made up of three districts with a stock transfer, two with retained stock and one with an ALMO, have decided to expand the ALMO to cover the whole county and give it more housing functions. Read more of this opinion piece on the Guardian website.