Housing

Hackney Housing: news and views

ALMO is no solution Hackney Council is pressing ahead with its Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), despite very little support in the community. When Hackney Solidarity asked residents of Mountford estate, we found that most people had not heard of the ALMO, and those who had knew little of the detail. ALMO takes housing out of Council control, making it even further out-of-touch with residents. ALMO will act like a business, and could be a first step to privatisation. Recent elections for tenants’ and free-/lease-holders’ representatives on the ALMO Board had a low turnout - not...

Pembury estate: Residents Speak Out

by Janine Booth Hackney Solidarity knocked on doors on the Pembury. We asked people’s views about life on the estate. Many complained about the building work. It has been noisy, disruptive, and continually delayed. Others complained that Peabody promised repairs but either did not do them or messed them up - including furniture being damaged and no compensation paid. Many residents feel they don’t get enough information from Peabody - just “occasional newsletters which make promises which are then not carried out”. There is very little for youngsters to do. It is a scandal that such a big...

Hackney Solidarity

The latest issue of Hackney Solidarity is now available, and is being distributed in communities and workplaces across central Hackney. The main articles are on housing, including reports from local estates. Other subjects include class sizes at the local primary school, news from local trade unions, a view from a Hackney teenager, and opinions on the recent General Election. Click 'read more' to read the text, or email Janine Booth for printed copies. HACKNEY'S HOUSING CRISIS by Janine Booth Hackney’s housing is in crisis. Estates are run down, and thousands can’t get a Council home and are...

A future for social housing?

by Tony Osborne Some Councils, like Hackney where I live, are scrabbling to get on the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) ladder. They think this is the only way they are likely to raise the money after years of (their own!) neglect and mismanagement, to comply with central government’s directive that all Council homes must reach a “Decent Homes” standard by 2010 However, this is by no means guaranteed even if given ALMO status. Some ALMOs are reaching the end of five-year contracts. What are the Councils in those areas thinking about now? Do they now take homes back under direct...

Attacks on Supported Housing residents

What's New in Social Housing? Not the poor old Council Housing residents this time, but a group even more vulnerable. Who are they? People in Supported Housing, the elderly and the frail. Supported housing providers are charging tenants top-up payments to plug the gaps in their budgets.(Inside Housing 6/5/05) Housing associations operating in at least two councils are expecting residents to pay towards support services, placing the local authorities in breach of Supporting People funding rules. (Inside Housing 6/5/05) So who suffers the most? Those on Housing Benefits as it comes out of their...

Hackney's housing crisis

Hackney’s housing is in crisis. Council estates are neglected, and thousands can’t get a Council home and are stuck in inadequate rented accommodation. For decades, the Council has failed to maintain its estates properly. Some have not had so much as a lick of paint in twenty years. And still the Council has the cheek to increase rents, service charges, parking fees and Council Tax! ALMO? The Council’s latest ‘solution’ is ALMO – Arms Length Management Organisation, where ‘Arms Length’ means out of reach of accountablity to residents. They claim that you will have a say in the running of the...

Rent in Hackney?

Council housing is often poor but what is it like renting from private landlords in Hackney? If you're rich you can take your pick from many renovated and new flats springing up on every available space. If not - and you can forget about getting a council flat, what luxury! - you're faced with poor quality expensive homes, and very little hope of something better. I rent privately in Hackney - two thirds of my wages go towards paying for a one bedroom flat above a shop for my family of four. The landlord hasn't even seen the property since before we moved in. flood stained walls, mice - great...

The Future of Social Housing

by Tony Osborne What happens now? Some Councils, like Hackney, are scrabbling to get on the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) ladder. They think this is the only way they are likely to raise the money after years of (their own!) neglect and mismanagement, to comply with central government’s directive that all Council homes must reach Decent Homes standard by 2010. However, this is by no means guaranteed even if given ALMO status. Some ALMOs from the first round are reaching the end of their five-year contract. So what are the Councils in those areas thinking about now? Having achieved...

Knocking down the community

By Mike Rowley What the country’s poorest really need is higher house prices. That’s the basic premise of the Government’s Housing Renewal Pathfinder schemes — demolishing 400,000 houses across the north of England to build more expensive homes. “The aim of this £500 million housing market renewal programme is to turn whole communities around by improving the quality of private, local authority and registered social landlord housing. This will involve clearing poor quality houses… building attractive, good quality new homes, and upgrading existing homes to push up their market value.” (Office...

Defending Our Homes: People Before Profit

From 'Hackney Solidarity' April 2005 issue, for Aspland & Marcon estates by Janine Booth The future of our estates still hangs in the balance, as the Council continues to attack us, and we as a community – through the Tenants’ & Residents’ Association – do our best to stick up for ourselves and our rights. One thing we can be sure of – the Council does not have residents’ interests at heart, and the ‘consultation’ process is a sham. We’ve had meeting after meeting, jargon upon jargon, one broken promise after another. But it boils down to one thing – we want our estates to be a decent place to...

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