Councils Force ALMOs to Cut Costs

Pressure from local authorities has caused ALMOs to cut costs by up to twice as much as housing associations.  A survey of ALMOs by auditing firm Baker Tilly found half of the respondents made annual cost reductions of between 6 and 10 per cent over the past 12 months.  In a similar survey of social housing providers carried out earlier this year, the firm found that average cuts were between 2 and 5 per cent.  Gary Moreton, head of social housing at Baker Tilly, said the bigger cuts for ALMOs were a result of pressure being applied by corresponding cuts to council budgets.  More than 60 per cent of respondents said that pressure from their local authority was the biggest motivating factor behind making cuts.  Read more on Inside Housing.