The organisation set up to access the government’s Decent Homes Fund was established in 2004
Newcastle City Council has confirmed it intends to close its arms-length management organisation (ALMO) and bring its housing services in-house for the first time in 20 years.
The ALMO Your Homes Newcastle - which manages 26,000 homes on behalf of the local authority - was set up in 2004 to enable Newcastle City Council to access the then Labour government’s Decent Homes fund, which councils couldn’t access directly.
Now government funding via the Decent Homes fund has ended, Newcastle City Council held a vote on whether it was right to use a separate organisation to deliver housing services.
Last week, Newcastle City Council cabinet voted to close Your Homes Newcastle and bring its services in-house.
The vote followed a consultation with tenants, leaseholders and other local residents found more than 80% of respondents supported the proposals.
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Your Home Newcastle’s commercial subsidiary, Abri, is expected to continue its services but it will transfer into the council’s ownership.
All Your Home Newcastle staff who deliver housing services on behalf on the council are expected to have their employment transferred to Newcastle City Council by July 2024.
“People are at the heart of everything we do and as a council we want our tenants and leaseholders to receive the best possible services,” councillor Irim Ali said.
“In recent years, we have faced major financial and regulatory changes in the housing sector that mean we need to get more from every pound we spend, so it was vital to consider whether there was a more effective and efficient way to deliver for our residents.”
At their peak there were around 70 ALMOs but there are now less than 30 in operation.
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