Chief Executive Of Under-Fire ALMO Quits

The chief executive of an ALMO rocked by health and safety concerns has quit after its parent councils took over the board last month. Deborah Upton has stepped down from her role at East Kent Housing (EKH). EKH, which manages around 17,000 homes on behalf of Canterbury, Dover, Thanet and Folkestone & Hythe councils, is set for closure with all four authorities agreeing an intention to take back management of their housing stock. An independent report into problems at the ALMO concluded it is “fundamentally broken” and suggested the “failure in leadership” to fix safety concerns effectively was “unforgivable”. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/chief-executive-of-under-fire-almo-quits-64609

Chief Executive Leaves HCA

Andy Rose is to leave his post as Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), to take up a new role in global infrastructure finance. In April, Andy will become Chief Executive of GIIA, a global advocacy association that represents equity investors in global infrastructure. Mr Rose joined the HCA in April 2013, at a time when the housing development industry was still recovering from the global downturn. He established a new investment function within the HCA, to help unlock stalled sites and increase investment in housing and infrastructure through greater use of equity and loans. He built up the HCA’s role as a central body within government for the disposal of surplus public land. Read more on the HCA website.

Osborne Abandons Cuts To Universal Credit After IDS Quit Threat

Mr Osborne will now seek deeper cuts in housing benefits as he aims to meet his pre-election pledge of cutting the welfare budget by £12bn. Mr Duncan Smith allegedly threatened to resign as Work and Pensions Secretary if the savings were found through cuts to his Universal Credit system. Claimants currently lose 65p in every extra pound they earn as benefits are withdrawn. Following £2bn cuts to Universal Credit, claimants would have lost 75p in every extra pound. Mr Duncan Smith is reportedly working on a shared ownership scheme in a bid to drive down the housing benefit bill, where tenants living in local authority housing for three years would be granted 70% of the equity in the home and rent the remaining 30%. Read more on the Politics Home website.

Board Members Quit ALMO After Row

A row between a Somerset ALMO and a tenants’ group has led to the resignation of six board members. The relationship between the Homes in Sedgemoor board and Sedgemoor Tenants’ Voice (STV) broke down earlier this year over the extent of the group’s remit as a consultative group within the organisation.  Following unsuccessful attempts at third-party mediation, the board passed a vote of no confidence in STV on September 3. But a further dispute at the meeting over perceived interference by the district council resulted in the resignation of six of the board’s 10 members, including chair Lynda Price. This means the board is currently unable to function under the terms of its constitution, meaning all policy decisions are on hold. Read more on Inside Housing.

Universal Credit Boss Steps Down

DWP Chief Information Officer (CIO), Andy Nelson, has stepped down from his role overseeing the roll-out of Universal Credit after only a year in charge.  He was placed in charge of the roll-out of Universal Credit in February 2013. A spokesperson for the DWP said:

“After four and a half years in the civil service, Andy Nelson has decided to step down as DWP’s CIO. His work has included improving the day-to-day running of the department’s IT and welfare reforms.

“The DWP has a strong IT team in place, and Andy will continue in post until the summer to ensure continuity and an effective handover to his successor.” The DWP has yet to clarify who will be taking over when he leaves his role in the summer. Read more on the Welfare News Service website.