Every Tower Block Checked So Far Fails Fire Tests

So far every sample of cladding from high-rise buildings that officials have tested has failed tests for combustibility, raising the prospect of many more mass tenant evacuations with hundreds of more buildings still to be checked. As a result of the test findings Salford Council has given the go-ahead to start removing aluminium composite cladding on nine high rise blocks in the Pendleton area of the city. The Government has also stressed that the failure in testing of the cladding would not necessarily mean that a building would have to be evacuated. Local authorities have been told to only consider evacuations where there is the most serious risk. Read more on Construction Enquirer.

Town Hall Rubber Stamps Housing Transfer

The transfer of 8,500 homes from the council to private ownership has been formally approved. Salford council rubber stamped the transfer of town hall-owned properties to Salix Homes at its full council meeting. This came after a tenant ballot in November when tenants voted in favour of the stock transfer. The transfer is expected to take place at the end of March and Salix Homes, which already manages the homes on behalf of the council. Salix says it will invest millions into the homes to bring them up to a decent standard by 2020 and maintain them. Read more on the Manchester Evening News website.

Salford Tenants Say Yes

Salford City Council tenants have said yes to transferring their homes to Salix Homes in a move which will release millions of pounds of investment.  Results of the ballot were welcomed by city leaders. The ‘yes’ vote means that the council can now proceed to transfer the ownerships of its homes to Salix Homes by the end of March 2015. Salix Homes already manages the 8,500 homes on behalf of the council. Instead of arms length management organisation (ALMO)  Salix Homes  will become a ‘registered provider’  or housing association in its own right. Read more on the Salford City Council website.

Council Brings In Scheme to Raise PRS Standards

Salford City Council has introduced a scheme aimed at increasing standards in the private rented sector (PRS) in parts of the City. The scheme, which went through extensive consultation with over 7,800 landlords, managing agents and tenants, covers around 760 PRS homes.  The scheme, which will come into effect in January and will last for five years, will require landlords to obtain a licence from the council. They will need to show basic safety checks have been carried out and they have appropriate management arrangements in place. It will be a criminal offence to operate a PRS property in the designated area without a licence or to fail to comply with any of the conditions of the licence. Read more on the Salford City website.

Stock Transfer Ballot to Go Ahead

Council tenants in Salford will be able to vote on whether their homes are transferred to a co-operative, releasing £75m of investment. City mayor Ian Stewart announced today the ballot will go ahead ‘soon’ to transfer Salford City Council’s 8,500 homes to Salix Homes. The decision should mean that the arm’s-length management organisation, which currently manages the council’s stock, will become a ‘mutual’, jointly owned by tenants and employees. Read more on the Salford Council website.

Ballot Go Ahead Recommended

Plans which could release millions of pounds of housing investment could get the go ahead in Salford. After extensive consultation with tenants, Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart will consider the recommendation to hold a ballot. Tenants will be able to decide whether to transfer the ownership of 8,500 homes from the council to Salix Homes which will see £75 million pounds invested in homes and communities in the next five years. The offer document, setting out details of the proposal, was delivered to tenants at the start of August, giving them a month to reply with any comments on the document. Read more on the Salford City website.

Government Agrees £65m Debt Write-Off for Council Homes Transfer

The government has today agreed to write off £65.1 million of debt to allow a council to transfer 8,500 homes to its former ALMO. Salford Council hopes to transfer the properties to Salix Homes under new stock transfer rules, published last November, including an offer to cancel historic housing debt. In exchange for the write-off, Salix Homes has committed to invest £75 million to bring all properties up to the government’s decent homes standard by 2020. The deal will be put out to consultation before a tenant vote later this year. To benefit from the debt write-off, the whole process must be completed by March 2015. Read more on Inside Housing.

Bright Future for Social Housing Tenants

Salford Council has given the green light for Salix Homes to become a ‘mutual' organisation, owned by tenants and employees, if residents support plans for a proposed stock transfer.  Last year Salix Homes was named by Salford Council as the chosen landlord to take ownership of the 8,500 council homes in Salford it currently manages in a stock transfer. If tenants vote ‘yes' to transfer, Salix Homes is poised to become one of the first employee co-owned mutual housing providers in the country, giving tenants greater control over the way housing services are provided. A new mutual Salix Homes would be owned by and accountable to its members, made up of tenants and employees, creating a new form of genuine public ownership with true resident involvement. Read more on the Salix Homes website.

Council to Bring Thousands of Empty Homes Back Into Use

Salford City Council is taking action to bring around 3,400 empty properties back in to use. The council is offering access to grants of up to £34,000 to private landlords to make their vacant properties habitable.  As part of the Empty to Plenty scheme, launched during Greater Manchester empty property week, the council’s empty property team is appealing to landlords to get advice on turning disused properties into family homes. Read more on 24dash.

Social Landlord on Verge of Mass Stock Transfer

Salford’s Salix Homes has been recommended as the preferred bidder to take ownership of 8,200 council properties in the city after it was endorsed by a panel that included tenants.  Salix was chosen from four housing bodies that were invited to put their case to the council, and were selected for offering the “best value for money”.  If the go-ahead is given, the final decision will be put to a ballot of Salix tenants next year.  Salix already manages the properties on the council’s behalf. Salford City Council is unable to borrow the money to bring the properties up to modern standards. Read more on 24dash.

Tenants Back Transfer Plan

Tenants in Salford have backed plans for a ballot on whether to transfer their council homes to a housing association.  Almost 2,500 residents of Salix Homes, the ALMO which manages around 10,500 properties owned by Salford City Council, responded to a ‘test of opinion’ survey.  Nearly half (48.1 per cent) of tenants questioned said they would support a stock transfer, with just over a quarter opposed (27.6 per cent). A further 20.1 per cent did not know and 4.2 per cent did not give an answer. Read more on Inside Housing.

Tenants Asked For Views on Stock Transfer

Salford City Council is asking tenants to vote on whether they wish management of their homes to remain with Salix Homes, a 10,500 homes ALMO set up to manage the council’s stock.  They are not being presented with the option of the management of their homes transferring back to the council but are instead being asked if they want the current arrangement to continue, or for a transfer to a registered provider or housing association. The council said the results of the survey would ‘inform the city mayor’s decision’ on whether or not to conduct a formal ballot of tenants on a transfer to a housing association. This move could only go ahead with the agreement of tenants.  Read more on the Salix Homes website.

Council Consults Tenants over Stock Transfer

The future of a North West ALMO is uncertain after its council announced a review of how its stock is managed. Salford City Council is to work with its ALMO, Salix Homes - which currently manages its 8,500 homes - and its tenants on the review. The options include:

• The council keeps ownership of the homes and either has them managed by Salix Homes under the current arrangements or manages them internally with the capacity to access improvement and development funds

• The ownership of the housing stock is transferred to Salix Homes or another housing provider

Read more on 24dash.