Council housing management braced for massive shake-up

Bosses at Leeds City Council are set to put the city’s three arms-length management organisations (ALMOS), who are in charge of looking after council houses, under the microscope.

West North West Homes, East North East Homes and Aire Valley Homes could face a massive overhaul under new plans to transform the management of municipal housing.

Proposals to Leeds City Council’s Executive Board could see a single ALMO take over the running of the city’s housing stock.

Other options include integrating all services within direct council control, retaining the three ALMOs or transferring the city’s housing stock to a registered social landlord.

A report to the Executive Board, chaired by council leader Keith Wakefield, said: “Council housing represents one of the council’s largest assets, and it is very important for the council and tenants that these assets are managed and maintained effectively.

“The end of the decent homes programme, alongside a climate of ever reducing public sector finances, means there is now even more pressure on the council to ensure that we have the most suitable arrangements in place to make best use of our limited resources to enable the delivery of the best possible service for Leeds tenants.”

Any savings generated from budgets across the ALMOs or council services will be reinvested into front-line housing services.

The report added: “If we are to maximise investment in the housing stock for tenants then we need to look at where savings can be realised elsewhere in our housing management arrangements in order to reinvest such savings in our stock and broader housing management service to tenants.”

Members of the Executive Board will decide which proposal they want to back at a meeting tomorrow. The council will then launch a consultation process with tenants about the outcome of the meeting.