Housing Minister to Meet Yorkshire Housing Chiefs

Published by JenCooke for National Federation of ALMOs in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

Yorkshire housing organisations host landmark meeting with Minister

Housing chiefs from Berneslai Homes and nine other council housing management organisations, that manage more than 200,000 homes across Yorkshire, met Housing Minister John Healey this Friday to discuss the future of social housing in the region.

The meeting has been organised by Barnsley-based ALMO, Berneslai Homes with support from the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) and will showcase the organisation’s achievements in community regeneration.

Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) such as Berneslai Homes in Barnsley, West North West Homes Leeds and Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, manage council homes on behalf of the local authority.

As part of the meeting, Housing Minister John Healey discussed the progress of the Decent Homes programme in Yorkshire which has seen over £1.2bn invested in refurbishments and home improvements. The Minister will also discuss the potential for ALMOs to build new council housing in the region to ease waiting lists and discuss a review of the housing subsidy system.
Commenting on the visit John Healey Minister for housing said:

“All council homes should be decent, secure and affordable and our Yorkshire ALMOs are working hard to see council tenants have the quality homes they deserve. Backed by £33 billion Government funding through the Decent Homes Programme, the massive backlog of repairs that existed in 1997 is largely done and the lives of thousands of council tenants in Yorkshire have been improved.

“There’s still work to be done, however, and this is a Government totally committed to completing the Decent Homes Programme.”

Berneslai Homes was one of the first ALMOs to be created in Yorkshire in December 2002 and since then, the organisation has introduced sweeping changes to improve council housing in the town. Over 95 per cent of the ALMO’s housing stock now meets the Government’s ‘Decent Homes’ standard and tenant satisfaction levels have risen, from 65 per cent in 2004, to 88 per cent in 2008. This picture of success is matched across the region’s 10 ALMOs.

Helen Jagger, Chief Executive of Berneslai Homes said: “I am delighted that the Housing Minister has visited Berneslai Homes this week to discuss the success of Yorkshire ALMOs. I am extremely proud of our tenant’s achievements and have told the Minster about the real, tangible benefits that have been brought to council tenants in Barnsley as a result of the Decent Homes programme and the ALMO model.”

Mr Healey has pledged his future support for the ALMO movement which has a key role to play in delivering council housing management in Yorkshire. In total 69 have been established by councils nationwide to manage and improve local authority housing stock. Each individual ALMO is a not-for-profit company, with tenants making up at least a third of the board and the council retaining ownership of all housing stock.

The core ALMO philosophy is that tenants should have a pivotal role in the management and improvement of their homes and neighbourhoods. With this in mind, the organisations have established a number of ambitious community projects and partnerships designed to strengthen social cohesion and enhance the quality of life in the areas in which they work.

During the visit, Mr Healey also opened the new Head Office of Berneslai Homes at Gateway Plaza which will house 160 staff.


The 10 ALMOs attending the meeting are:

o Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing
o 2010 Rotherham
o West North West Homes Leeds
o Aire Valley Homes Leeds
o East North East Homes Leeds
o St Leger Homes Doncaster
o Berneslai Homes, Barnsley
o A1 Housing, Bassetlaw
o Sheffield Homes
o Rykneld Homes Chesterfield

Key Facts about ALMOs

• The first ALMOs were established in April 2002 and there are now 69 operating in 65 local authorities managing over a million council properties
• The total ALMO managed stock accounts for more than half of all local authority housing
• ALMOs have brought over 250,000 homes up to the Decent Homes standard nationally
• Under an ALMO, the local authority owns the housing stock and the ALMO company is run on a not-for-profit basis. Both existing and new council tenants remain secure in their homes