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Homes in Havering: Consulting you on the futureIn 2006 the Council appointed Homes in Havering (or HiH) to manage its homes. At the time, all councils had to pass the management of their homes over to ‘Arms Length Management Organisations’ - or ALMOs, like HiH, in order to qualify for extra Government money to fund home improvements. Havering was recently awarded £62 million of this ‘Decent Homes’ money – which is now being spent on council homes across the Borough. Havering Council is now asking tenants and leaseholders whether Homes in Havering should continue to manage and maintain council homes, or whether the Council itself should be responsible for managing and maintaining council homes, as it was before 2006. We are doing this now because the rules about housing have changed. We no longer need to have a separate organisation in order to get ‘Decent Homes’ money from the Government. The consultation will run over the winter and the Council will make the final decision in April 2012. We want everyone to have their say. All residents will be sent a questionnaire in January 2012 asking them for their views. The two options are:
Advice for ResidentsHiH staff are working with the Council to make sure tenants and leaseholders have all the information they need about the options. We’ll be coming round the borough and attending tenant/leaseholder meetings with all the details. We will also provide independent advice for residents who may want to talk to someone outside the Council or HiH AWICS has been appointed to provide residents with access to Independent Advice acting as the Independent Resident Advisor. This advice will be provided by Adrian Waite, Managing Director of AWICS. He will be in attendance at some meetings so you can ask questions and seek independent advice. You can contact Adrian Waite on:
What would it mean for me?Whatever the result, many important things would stay the same. Here are some examples of things that would not change:
So what would change?The main change would be that the Board which leads HiH at present would be replaced by the Council’s elected councillors and senior officers. This would mean that there was one organisation responsible for all aspects of council housing in Havering, rather than two. If management of housing was brought back under the Council, there would be the chance to merge some systems and processes and save over £300,000 a year to be invested back into frontline housing services. The Council believes this is more than could be achieved by making efficiency savings at HiH. Whatever decision is made, we would continue to give tenants a real say in decision making about housing. Listening to ResidentsOne of the important achievements of HiH has been that more and more tenants have become involved in the running of the services they receive. The Council wants this to continue, whichever way the decision goes. If the service comes back into the Council, there will be a new Borough-wide resident body to give residents a direct say in the decisions taken by the Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing – currently Councillor Lesley Kelly. Councillor Kelly said: “Given the changes in the way the Government allocates money for housing, it’s right that tenants and leaseholders are now asked who they want to manage their homes. We want to hear from as many tenants and leaseholders as possible, to make sure the final decision is the right one for them.” Your QuestionsIf you have any questions for the Council please contact the Council on 01708 434343. Alternatively for Independent Advice from AWICS please contact us using the details listed above. Additionally you can find answers to frequently asked questions in the section below. Council staff are coming round the Borough to resident meetings to explain the options and answer questions. In addition we are holding an open meeting for Council tenants and leaseholders on 11 January 2012 at 7.00 p.m. at Havering Town Hall. If you want to know more please come along. Frequently Asked QuestionsQuestions1 to 6 cover what would happen if the decision is to bring housing into the Council while questions 7 to 20 give answers which apply whatever the decision. 1. Will residents get a chance to influence the new service if the Council takes over? 2. What would happen to the staff if it came back to the Council? 3. What would happen to the HiH board? What would replace it? 4. Who would run the service if it comes back into the Council? 5. Could some services be combined with Council services to save money? 6. Will there be any more money to spend on housing services? 7. Will I still be a tenant / leaseholder of the Council? 8. Will my rent or service charges be affected? 9. Will this affect my tenancy or lease? 10. Will there still be money to improve my home to the Decent Homes Standard? 11. I live in a Tenant Management Organisation estate. What will it mean for me? 12. Will this affect my rights? 13. Would there be any change to the landlord’s repairing obligations? 14. What about service standards and customer care? 15. I am a joint tenant. Will I be able to give my opinion separately? 16. Does the Council need the Government’s permission to bring housing back into the Council? 17. Who makes the final decision? 18. When would a change be made? 19. Can I get independent advice? 20. Is this a formal ballot? Survey Reveals Preference for Council Management of Havering HomesA total of 48.3% of responding tenants and leaseholders have expressed the view that they would prefer for the management of Council houses and flats to move back in-house to Havering Council. The results are from the independent Electoral Reform Services which carried out a test of opinion survey into tenants' and leaseholders' preferences for the future management of their homes. The survey concluded that 32.1 per cent believed that it should remain with Homes in Havering and 19.6 per cent indicated they did not have a preference. Overall 5,832 people sent in a valid questionnaire - 39.4 per cent of all tenants and leaseholders. The opinions expressed by residents will form the basis of a report to Havering's Cabinet, which will make the decision on the future management of the housing service. Councillor Lesley Kelly, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "I'd like to thank all of the tenants and leaseholders who have taken the time to provide their views and let us know who they would like to manage their homes in the future. "Residents have indicated that they want the housing service to be provided by Havering Council. This is not a criticism of the work that Homes in Havering has done but we simply no longer need a separate organisation to access the funds from the decent homes programme." It is anticipated that £300,000 per year can be saved by moving the management of the housing service back in house - all of which will be reinvested in Council homes. A report will now be presented to Havering's Cabinet on 21 March Further InformationFurther information will be made available on this website as it becomes available. Useful Documents & LinksBelow are some useful documents you may want to download and read: |