Northumberland County Council has agreed to the principle of ending the arm’s-length management of its housing stock and establish an internal management structure.
According to Housing News:
All tenants and leaseholders will now be consulted through a test of opinion before a final decision is made. During the next week or so, each tenant will receive a leaflet explaining the proposals and a questionnaire which they should complete and return no later than Friday, January 30.
Responses can also be provided online at www.northumberland.gov.uk/homes where tenants will need to quote the unique reference number on their leaflet.
It is estimated that in excess of £750,000 a year could be saved by running current Homes for Northumberland management functions from the core of the council – freeing up this money to reinvest in council housing and services for tenants.
Councillor Allan Hepple, policy board member for housing, planning and regeneration at Northumberland County Council, said: “Like all local authorities, Northumberland is under unprecedented pressure to save money and achieve efficiencies, while protecting its frontline services.
“We have a strong commitment to developing and managing high-quality council homes and we have identified that through taking management and governance of council homes back into the council we can save money to reinvest in housing.”
A final decision is likely in March 2015.