Hackney Homes to be dissolved as council takes back control of housing

Banister House

Hackney Council has voted to take back the management of its housing stock as it moves to dissolve the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) Hackney Homes.

The contract with Hackney Homes comes to an end on 31 March 2016 and the council’s cabinet voted this week not to renew it.

Chair of Hackney Homes Rupert Tyson, and Vice Chair Alice Burke, who have been involved in Hackney housing for a combined 60 years, were present at the meeting.

Addressing the cabinet, Burke praised the “vast improvements” in satisfaction amongst Hackney Homes tenants. She said: “Tenants are happier, children are happier – but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

All 33,742 Hackney Homes tenants were consulted on the plans through a process run  by independent research agency Ipsos MORI.

Of the 18% (6,158) who responded, 56% showed support for the proposal; 14% opposed; 15 % neither supported nor opposed; 12% answered ‘don’t know’ and 2% did not state a preference.

Hackney Homes was formed in 2006 to deliver improvements to the council’s housing stock through the Decent Homes programme. The original five-year contract was extended to 2014 and subsequently to 2016.

Cllr Philip Glanville, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Hackney Council has come a long way over the last decade and Hackney Homes has been a major part of its success story.

“I’d like to thank Hackney Homes’ Board, and staff for all of their hard work and look forward to welcoming them into the Council.

Rupert Tyson said: “Hackney Homes and Hackney Council agree that the time has come to return housing management to the Council. Hackney Homes has achieved what it was established to do and I’m proud of our achievements over the last nine years and would echo Cllr Glanville’s thanks to my colleagues on the Board and the staff of Hackney Homes for their hard work over the last 9 years.”