Kirklees returns to council home management
THOUSANDS of council properties across Kirklees look set to be returned to local authority management.
The decision-making Cabinet of Kirklees Council has approved in principle a plan to move to an in-house model, which means more than 21,000 properties will be managed and maintained by the council itself.
That would mean the end of Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH), the arms-length management organisation (ALMO) that has run the council’s properties since 2002.
In outlining the council’s proposal Clr Cathy Scott, the Cabinet member for Housing and Democracy, said the authority was keen to hear from tenants directly on its plans to take back management of housing.
The council will carry out an engagement with tenants from June through to August/September with a view to making a final decision soon after.
It is expected that the transition will take place sometime before March 31 2021.
Staff would transfer via TUPE from KNH to Kirklees Council.
Tories on the council have said they need to be convinced of the plan. Liberal Democrats have welcomed the move.
Transferring housing to council control would involve more than 21,000 council-owned properties across the borough ranging from 6,464 one-bedroom flats to five six-bedroom houses.
The vast majority of those are managed by KNH.
Clr Scott commented: “We recognise the contribution Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing has made but, like other councils, we will now consider a more direct management approach to housing support that will benefit our residents.
“As well as improving and maintaining the quality of the houses we own, we also have a real opportunity here to do so much more.
“We want to work closer than ever with people living in council housing so we can better understand the challenges they face and tackle them together.”
Council Leader Clr Shabir Pandor said he was “really excited” by the prospect of the arms-length management organisation being brought back inhouse.
He added: “We need to keep in mind what the purpose of social housing is.”
Clr David Hall, leader of the Conservative group, said local Tories were interested in how the council intending delivering a better service.
He commented: “The effect of bringing KNH ‘in-house’ would probably be to transfer in all the KNH officers and managers en-masse.
“So how then does this lead to improvements in the service, if the same people are doing the same jobs?
“Although the report refers to strengthening governance, there is no reason why this cannot be done in KNH’s current form as an arm’s-length organisation.
“After all, KNH is wholly owned by the council.”
He added: “KNH has served the council’s tenants well for many years, and a very strong case will have to be made in order to persuade us that bringing the whole operation back into the council was sensible.”
The Liberal Democrats’ Clr Alison Munro sought details of transition costs.
She said: “It’s important that we get some financial figures to go with the transfer of KNH to an in-house model as quickly as possible.
“The voice of the tenant needs to be taken very seriously indeed and in these times we need to be creative in how we tackle engagement and make sure that residents’ concerns are addressed and acted on.
“We need to take this opportunity and ensure that housing in KIrklees is the best it can be.”