There’s allegations over on Bristol Indymedia that Bristol City Council may be attempting to transfer its council housing stock by stealth to the private sector.
The allegations centre around the role of the council’s new Housing Management Board, which supposedly plays an advisory role in the formation of Bristol’s public housing policy.
This board currently consists of four councillors, four council tenants and a couple of independents. However it has already run into criticism because the tenants weren’t elected to this board by other tenants but selected instead by councillors.
It’s also been criticised for taking over the role of the council’s own Area Housing Committees, which – while viewed as ineffective and deliberately mired in council bureaucracy – do at least consist of properly elected tenant representatives.
Now the council want to increase the powers(pdf) of their Housing Management Board to provide it with similar powers to an ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) or RSL (Registered Social Landlord). Both are considered soft forms of or halfway houses to privatisation.
The fact that the future of Bristol’s council housing will soon lie largely in the hands of four unelected council tenants selected by councillors should be cause for considerable concern. The Blogger will be reporting more on this in the coming weeks.
Labour is going ALMO by stealth!
They are setting up a Local Housing Company pilot in Bristol
At the next full council meeting Tuesday 4th December.1pm.
Questions will be asked:
Q8 Will the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods confirm that the Housing Management Board is, or is soon to become a Registered Social Landlord or Arms Length management Organisation but with decision-making powers as set out in the City Council’s constitution?
Q9 Will the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods explain what else needs to be done to the Housing Management Board to make it an ALMO?
The supplimentary question will confirm that in most respects it actually is an almo with housing company the actual sell off.
Why not get yourselves along to witness this sel-off by stealth.
oh joy the vunrable of our city will be handed over to the wonderfully stable private business world some more! are northern rock going to support the switch over
So Housing Associations and ALMOs are “considered soft forms of or halfway houses to privatisation”? By who? With justification?
Both HAs and ALMOs are not-for-profits.
Moreover, ALMOs only manage housing – with ownership remaining in local authority ownership (and, of course, an ALMO is itself council-owned.)
No scare tactics.
Bob D // December 23, 2008 at 9:46 pm
So Housing Associations and ALMOs are “considered soft forms of or halfway houses to privatisation”? By who? With justification?
Both HAs and ALMOs are not-for-profits.
Moreover, ALMOs only manage housing – with ownership remaining in local authority ownership (and, of course, an ALMO is itself council-owned.)
This subject is unlikely to be going away is it?
Tracking over the years paul smith was advocating almo it now looks strange he argues against tmo’s as he is doing,he wouldnt want tenants putting right all these years of labour maladministration would he!!