ALMOs Must 'Step Up To the Plate'

ALMOs must ‘step up to the plate’ and champion the needs of all of their communities if they are to have a positive future, a government minister has warned.  Don Foster, under secretary of state for housing, said ALMOs faced a ‘challenging future’ but could ‘win local support’ and ‘improve their remit’ if they focused on ‘engaging with tenants’.  Areas Mr Foster called on ALMOs to explore included working to help implement the government’s delayed green deal retrofit plan and encouraging community groups to take on the right to bid for community assets or the delivery of some services.  ‘There is also the neighbourhood planning agenda and helping facilitate development on local sites where appropriate. Then there is neighbourhood budgeting for things like adult social care,’ he added. ‘Tenants could be encouraged to explore all these areas through ALMOs.’  Read more on Inside Housing.

Localism Act 2011 – Parliamentary Written Answer

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects provisions within the Localism Act 2011 relating to the duty of local authorities to hold a register of community assets to come into force.

Andrew Stunell: We are currently in the process of finalising the Assets of Community Value provisions which will require local authorities to make available a list of their assets of community value. We expect these regulations will come into force in the summer of 2012.