Stevenage Borough Council to review delivery of housing services

Stevenage Borough Council is to review the way it delivers its housing services. After five successful years of running the management of housing in Stevenage through Stevenage Homes, the Borough Council is now responding to recent changes in Government policy.

Following recent Government announcements on decent homes funding, there is no longer a requirement for councils to retain an arm’s-length management organisation (ALMO) in order to access financial support.

Stevenage Homes, the councils ALMO, has successfully improved the operation of housing management in the town. It is rated as a two star service by the Audit Commission, which has already allowed the council to access £22m of investment from the Government.

Both Stevenage Borough Council and Stevenage Homes believe that now is the right time to review how the service is managed and operated to ensure it is getting the best value for the town

As part of the review, the Council will demonstrate its newly-launched principles of working co-operatively by consulting with tenants and leaseholders before deciding on any major changes.

Cllr Ann Webb, Executive Member for Housing, said, “With the changes in requirements for accessing funding, the time is now right for us to look at how we can provide the most effective housing service to people in Stevenage.

“We are proud of the history we have in providing and maintaining affordable homes in the town and of the strong links we have with our residents. I am confident that we can work together positively with the board and staff of Stevenage Homes Ltd and continue to develop and improve our service even further.”

The Chair of Stevenage Homes Ltd, Roger Gochin said, “We support and welcome the Council’s decision to review the approach to delivering housing services in Stevenage.

“Stevenage Homes staff have done a great job for the past five years by raising the standard of services and operating more efficiently for our tenants and leaseholders, and we are committed to continuing to provide high quality services. We are supporting the review as we too want to continue to see that Stevenage gets the best service it can given the government’s significant changes to housing finance and priorities over the next few years.”