Council Set To Confirm Plan To Shut ALMO

Manchester City Council’s executive committee is expected to rubber stamp the decision to close Northwards Housing. Northwards manages around 13,000 homes on behalf of the local authority, having been established in 2005. A test of opinion consultation with residents gathered 1,633 votes with 93% indicating their support for the council’s proposal to bring housing management under its direct control. Manchester Council declared its intention to scrap Northwards in June amid concerns over its repairs service and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) finances. The authority’s 30-year HRA business plan is forecast to end up £438m in deficit. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/manchester-city-council-set-to-confirm-plan-to-shut-almo-69148?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Two More Councils Set To Close ALMOs

Kirklees and Manchester councils have declared intentions to scrap their housing management companies and return the service in house. The former currently relies on Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) to run the vast majority of its 22,000 homes. But its Labour cabinet has agreed to start consulting with residents and staff about closing KNH, claiming that the move will aid “better understanding and [address] challenges individuals and communities face”. Manchester Council’s Labour cabinet has completed a review of its ALMO, Northwards Housing, and stated its preference to take back direct control of managing its 13,000 homes. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/two-more-councils-set-to-close-almos-66684

Council To Publish Files Used To Bypass Affordable Housing Quotas

Manchester city council has voted to make public the secret documents used by developers to bypass affordable housing quotas. Analysis by the Guardian earlier this month showed that developers behind almost 15,000 new homes given the green light by the council’s planning committee in the past two years all managed to avoid including any affordable housing in their developments. In many cases, developers submitted confidential viability assessments to successfully argue that their projects would not go ahead if they were to offer even one flat for affordable rent or sale. Just 65 of the 14,667 units analysed by the Guardian made any concessions to affordability, being pitched as shared ownership properties. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/21/manchester-council-to-publish-files-used-to-bypass-affordable-housing-quotas

Council Opens First Empty Buildings For Homeless

Empty council buildings in Manchester are to be used as overnight shelters for the city's rough sleepers. The former Hulme Library building and the former Beech Mount Children's Home in Harpurhey are the first to be opened up from next month. Homeless organisations will be able to refer people to the temporary accommodation. The council is also assessing other empty buildings across the city. It is part of an ongoing campaign to improve services for homeless people and increase the amount of bed spaces over the winter. The move will result in an extra 165 bed spaces. Read more on the Manchester City Council website.