Your Homes - The Future - Important News

As a Council tenant or leaseholder this is important information about the future management and ownership of your home. The Council in conjunction with its tenants and leaseholders has been carrying out what is called a “Housing Options Appraisal” to look at future possibilities in how Council Housing is managed and owned in the future.

The findings are now available and the Council has sent individual letters to all our tenants and leaseholders to keep them in the picture and get their views. The Council has made no decision on future arrangements, in fact you have the final say in any change in future ownership and management arrangements. However the Council does need to carefully consider the next steps and it can only do this with your help, so let us know your views

PDF. Version of the Letter to Tenants December 2008

Why does the Council have to carry out an Options Appraisal?

All Councils who still own and manage their housing are required to develop and review a long term business plan for their Council Housing. A full review is due and this explores ways of managing and delivering services and maintaining and improving the condition of your homes. This is to ensure best value for money and quality of service. Advisors have been appointed to assist both the Council and tenants and leaseholders in this process.

Who will advise Tenants and Leaseholders?

An Independent Tenants Advisor has been selected by a panel of tenant and leaseholder representatives who were nominated by the active tenant groups in Swindon. DWA, a Housing advisory organisation, has been awarded the contract for Independent Advisor. DWA is working closely with Tenants and Leaseholders and liaising with the Council and its advisors. DWA is available to explain and assist tenants and leaseholders completely independently of the Council and the Government.

Stop Press!

DWA and the Council have organised an:

Open Day at Steam, The Museum of the Great Western Railway, on Saturday 17^th January 2009. You can drop in any time between 11.00am and 3.00pm.

If you have any queries please contact the DWA by FREEPHONE 0800 0855 492, by email: info@dwa-housingconsultants.co.uk or by post to:

DWA

Freepost

SWC 5119

Telford

TF8 7ZA

You can also be re-directed to their website by clicking here.

What Options have been considered?

There are a number of Options. The main ones are:

• Stock Retention (stay as we are)
• Arms Length Management Organisation (stay as we are but with management services provided by an agency that is separate but reporting to the Council)
• Private Finance Initiative – a method of attracting private funding to improve the stock, but with the Council still keeping a long term interest in the housing stock
• Transfer to a Housing Association – ownership and management transferring to another agency to enable increased investment in your homes.
• Tenant Management Organisation

The Council will also be reporting on any new thinking coming out of the Government’s latest review of Council Housing Finance and recent Housing legislation.

How have Tenants and Leaseholders been involved in the Options Appraisal so far?

The Council recognises the importance of customer involvement. A Project Board and a Project Team have been set up to ensure the Appraisal is completed. Tenants and Leaseholders are represented on both groups. DWA the Independent Tenants Advisor has also set up a Residents Engagement Group (REG) for those so far who have expressed an interest to get more involved. The Housing Advisory Forum, which involves Tenants and Members of the Council, has also received regular updates on the Appraisal.

Who are the Council's Advisors?

The Council appointed RAND Associates to complete a stock condition survey to help the Council establish future maintenance and improvement expenditure on its Council housing stock. The Council also appointed Tribal a specialist housing finance consultancy to work with the Project Team and Project Board of Councillors, staff, tenants and leaseholders. They have looked at how the Council is budgeting for improvements and maintenance to your home and what will be needed over the next 30 years to ensure the Council's homes continue to meet the Government's Decent Homes Standard as well as considering higher standards which for example take account of improvements to our non traditionally built dwellings.

What information will be available from the Council itself?

This is the latest opportunity to let tenants and leaseholders know about the Appraisal. Please look out for regular updates. The Council has already given regular updates in your Magazine for tenants and Leaseholder Housing Matters and recently sent individual letter to all tenants and on the findings.

Who do I contact for more information?

If you would like more information about the process of the Options Appraisal please contact us by:

email on: housing@swindon.gov.uk

or telephone us on 01793 445503

The Findings

Our independent experts have carried out a thorough survey of our housing stock. They have identified the repair and improvement work required over the next 30 years. They have also looked at our finances and calculated how much this work would cost.

The conclusion of their report is clear: large scale stock transfer is the only option that can deliver the investment needed to keep all our homes at the required standard. No other option will deliver this level of investment.

Please be reassured there is no reason to be worried at the findings of this report. Your homes and rights are completely safe. The Council has made no decision about the report, rather it now wants to move forward and listen to tenants' and leaseholders' views about the future of the service.

So what is the next stage?

With the help of your Independent Tenant Advisors, we will be finding out how you feel about this. We are also on hand to explain anything you don’t understand.

So who gets the final say?

You do. The ownership and management arrangements of your homes are controlled by strict Government rules and can only change once the majority of tenants have voted in favour of it in a formal, secret ballot.

Important News from TASH, the Tenants Association for Sheltered Housing

Tenants may have read in the Spring 08 issue of Housing Matters that the Council is going to carry out a ‘Housing Options Appraisal’ to consider the future ownership and management of our Council homes.

It is worth repeating the options under review are:

• Stay with our Council landlord who would continue to manage the housing stock
• Transfer to a Housing Association who would own and manage the housing stock
• Create an ‘At Arms Length Organisation’, (ALMO) which would mean staying as we are, but with management services provided by an agency that is separate from the Council
• A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) method of attracting private funding

As the year progresses this matter will grow in importance. We in the TASH Committee are resolved to ensure all tenants are kept informed at all stages, with this in mind the meeting of TASH held on the 14^th of April 2008, passed the following resolution unanimously:

‘That this meeting of Swindon Tenants Association for Sheltered Housing can assure that any recommendation under Housing Options Appraisal which involves changing our Council Landlord, will immediately trigger a full ballot of all Council tenants to ensure all tenants are fully involved.’

Brian Shakespeare, TASH representative and Tenant Editor.

To learn more about TASH please visit their webpage: TASH

Swindon Tenants Voice and Housing Options Appraisal

Over the next few months Swindon Borough Council will be consulting its tenants about the future of council housing in Swindon. The Options Appraisal which is about the future management of your homes is explained on page 4. Please if you can, come along to one of the many meetings that will be run throughout the town and let the Independent Tenants Advisor and the Council know what you think.

Swindon Tenants Voice can assure you that your views will be listened to. Any recommendations from the consultation will be used to inform the Council about the future of your homes. We can also assure you that, in the event that the outcome of the consultations were to recommend a change of landlord, no such change could go ahead without a full ballot of all of Swindon’s Council tenants.

Ruth Kiddle STV Chair.

Tel: 887313

Email: ruth.kiddle@ntlworld.com

To learn more about STV please visit their webpage: STV