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London borough brings ALMO back in house
A north London council has shut down its ALMO, bringing its housing stock back under direct control.
Brent Council transferred its housing management services from Brent Housing Partnership (BHP) yesterday.
The move follows a 12-week consultation with tenants and leaseholders across the council’s 12,000 homes earlier this year, which found a preference for in-house landlord services.
All of BHP’s staff have been transferred to the council.
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The council said the change would allow it to provide a “better and more responsive service” to residents.
It plans to deliver extra investment in its homes, as well as reviewing its service standards and the way it involves tenants and leaseholders in decision-making.
And it will pump more cash into technology, including a smartphone app for tenant and leaseholder transactions.
A spokesperson said its objective was not to save money, but added that integration “presents some opportunities to achieve efficiencies”.
Harbi Farah, lead member for housing at Brent Council, said: “Housing is one of our most important services so it’s great that we’ve been able to bring it back in house.
“Our tenants and residents can be sure that we’re committed to building on BHP’s good work and will know that we’re determined to deliver an excellent service across the board.”
In 2011, Brent Council opted to keep its ALMO following an independent review.
BHP was one of a handful of ALMOs with registered provider status and was the first in the UK to purchase a large-scale housing development from its council.
