Council housing in Leeds is set to undergo a shake-up.
Chiefs 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 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 that 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 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.”
Members of the executive board will decide which proposal they want to back at a meeting tomorrow. The council will then consult with tenants.
The report added: “There is no doubt that housing management and the overall service provided to tenants is in a much better position now than it was 10 years ago.
“Any future model must aim to retain the strengths of existing arrangements whilst recognising the need to resolve the main operational issues this review has identified, against a backdrop of acute social and economic pressures.”
Council bosses handed control of the city’s 62,000 local authority homes to six arms-length management organisations nearly a decade ago.
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