Council Takes Housing Services Department Back In-House

Trafford Council has shown its commitment to tackling homelessness by taking over the running of its housing services department for the first time in 16 years. From April 1, Housing Options Services Trafford (HOST), which manages the housing waiting list, homelessness services and housing advice services, will be brought back under the direct control of Trafford Council. The service, which was outsourced to Salix Homes in 2015, will be directly run by the council as part of its commitment to providing housing and tackling homelessness in the borough. Read more on the Business Desk website.

https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/2073411-council-takes-housing-services-department-back-in-house-to-tackle-homelessness 

Housing Services To Be Brought Back In-House By Trafford Council

 Vital housing services are being brought back under direct council control in Trafford after more than 15 years. From April 1 2021, the council’s social housing provision waiting list, homelessness services and homes advice services will all be run by the council for the first time in 16 years after they were outsourced in 2005. Since 2015, Salix Homes have been the council’s providers but now the authority has made the decision to bring the service back under its own control ‘as part of its commitment to providing social housing and tackle homelessness’. Salix Homes staff will be moving over with the service when it returns to the council. Read more on the MEN website.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/vital-housing-services-brought-back-19102530

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.

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.

Thousands Could Lose Homes If Salix Transfer Goes Ahead

Salford Council and Salix have been spending tens of thousands of pounds on propaganda urging tenants to vote `Yes' in a ballot, which would see 8,800 properties transferred from Council ownership to an independent company.  Neither the Salix propaganda leaflets, nor the Offer Document, make any mention of a few paragraphs contained on page 32 of the 76 page official Business Case, not so easily available to tenants. Under the title of the Strategic Case for the transfer, the document quite clearly states that "Salix Homes would have greater freedom, for example, in the range and types of tenancies provided and locations/lettings policy." It adds that there will be the "development of a new tenancy policy" which will "work to change the view that social housing is a home for life towards being a resource for a particular time". Read more on the Salford Star website.

Salix Homes Scoops Top Award for Helping Tenants Get Online

A social housing provider is celebrating after scooping a national award for helping its tenants ‘go digital’. Salford-based Salix Homes won an NFA Award (National Federation of ALMOs) in recognition of its ‘Connecting Customers’ project, which teaches tenants essential IT skills and money management. Salix Homes launched the project in January to help prepare tenants for the introduction of Universal Credit.  Tenants who are unemployed and claiming benefits, have been taking part in free computer classes where they’ve been learning essential IT skills as well as tips and training on job searches, CV writing and interview techniques. Judges were impressed with how the project taught tenants’ essential computer skills while also encouraging people to save, as a requirement of the course is that all participants must open a savings account with Salford Credit Union, which they could then use to purchase a low-cost lap-top through the scheme. Read more on the Salix Homes 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 Homes Could Be Set For £33m Injection

If a stock transfer from a council goes ahead, the houses owned by the local authority could be set for a £33 million cash boost. If it gets the go ahead, Salix will take over ownership of 8,200 council properties in Salford. If the go-ahead is given, it will be put to a ballot for tenants next year. If residents back proposals, the homes will benefit from investment over the next 30 years including £33 million in the first 12 months. Current estimates suggest the homes need around £700 million investment and repairs over the next thirty years. Read more on Inside Housing.

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.