A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 10 -11

A young family, residents of Carrick Housing, get the keys to their brand new home

For more information, please contact the National Federation of ALMOs at: Rockingham House, St Maurices Road, York YO31 7JA T: 0845 4747 008 F: 0845 4747 006 E: almos@hqnetwork.co.uk www.almos.org.uk

Produced by Acceleris Marketing Communications Tel: 0845 4567 251 Email: info@acceleris-mc.com

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to the 2010/11 National Federation of ALMOs Annual Review.

Hello and welcome

At a time of unprecedented change for the entire housing sector, the ALMO movement remains in a strong and influential position, delivering high quality services around the country and working with residents to build strong communities.
A number of ALMOs are reaching the end of their management agreements and are working with their local authorities to determine their future direction. While some ALMOs have gone back inhouse or pursued stock Alison Inman transfer, others have Chair of the NFA had their management agreements renewed or extended, while new ALMOs have been created and others have increased the range and scope of services they provide. The period ahead will be a busy one for us as we get to grips with a number of issues that are crucial for tenants, councils and wider communities. Our priorities are: The Localism Bill Implementing 'self financing' Exploring community ownership. The NFA has sought assurances from ministers that the 'Community Right to Challenge' will apply to social housing tenants and ALMO staff who want to manage their social housing. We have also argued that Right-to-Buy receipts should be wholly retained by local authorities, as it goes against the spirit of the Localism Bill if the Treasury takes proceeds from the sale of council assets. Most importantly, we want stronger protection for tenants to enable them to determine who manages their homes. Some councils have ignored government guidance on procedures to be followed before an ALMO can be taken back in-house and action is needed to prevent them riding roughshod over the rights of residents to determine their own futures. There is widespread agreement that the previous system of council housing funding is no longer fit-for-purpose and the NFA welcomes the move to self-financing in 2012. The certainty around funding will enable local authorities and ALMOs to make long-term plans for the management and improvement of housing stock. Although some authorities are unhappy with the level of debt they have to take on, the move to self-financing is a great step forward for tenants. Although the Decent Homes Programme has fared better than other capital programmes, we are concerned at the levels of funding some councils with ALMOs have received. Many tenants will feel betrayed if promised works to their homes are not completed, especially those who have seen them deferred already. We will continue to lobby hard for fair play for them and the ALMOs that re-profiled spend at the request of the CLG, only to be left without funds to complete the final part of their programmes. The NFA has published the results of a research project examining potential models of community ownership and I am very excited about some of the ideas that have emerged. The report is available for inspection on our website and in hard copy and we invite feedback from everyone with an interest in this key issue. Another vital concern for our tenants is welfare reform. ALMOs operate in some of the most economically disadvantaged areas of the country and unprecedented changes to the benefits system will have a huge impact. We are pleased that the government has responded to lobbying and dropped its plans for a punitive cut to Housing Benefit for the long-term unemployed. There is no doubt that dramatic changes lie ahead for the ALMO sector and the residents whose best interests it works tirelessly to ensure. Some will be generated by future legislation, while others will be driven by local restructuring to further community involvement and real tenant empowerment. Although it is difficult to predict exactly what our part of the sector will look like in a few years' time, I am certain that ALMOs will remain centre stage as a positive force, innovating and raising standards.

As the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA), we aim:

To promote the ALMO option To assist existing and prospective ALMOs to operate effectively To secure a long-term financial future for ALMOs To persuade central government to take account of the interests of ALMOs, and to establish a vibrant independent ALMO sector that will provide Decent Homes, raise standards across the public rented housing sector, achieve excellence in service provision, promote tenant empowerment and help to deliver broader national and local policy priorities
Celebrating the ALMO movement - local schoolchildren help launch the Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust in 2010.

To promote best practice in the sector

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The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) is the trade body for all arms length management organisations (ALMOs).
The NFA represents the interests of ALMOs at national level. In addition to lobbying and negotiating with central government on behalf of ALMOs, the NFA runs a website, organises events and regional meetings for its members and provides advice and briefings. Affiliate membership is also available to other organisations that share the core values of the NFA.
Although most ALMOs were set up initially to access Decent Homes funding, the two most recently created ALMOs, Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust and East Kent Housing, were established outside the ALMO funding regime, thus demonstrating the flexibility of the ALMO model in delivering tenant empowerment and locally focused services. The NFA was established in 2003 when there were less than 20 ALMOs. After a widespread organisational and structural review, the NFA AGM in April 2008 agreed a new constitutional framework and, in December 2008, the NFA became a limited company. The work of the NFA is overseen by a board of nine ALMOs elected by members across the four regions (Northern, Midlands, South West, London & Southern). Elections take place every two years, when half the board stands down, and the new appointments to the board will be announced at the AGM on 12 July 2011. The NFA does not employ staff directly but instead appoints a managing agent and in 2009, after a two-stage EU procurement process, the NFA re-appointed HQN Ltd as managing agent for a period of three years, with an option for a further extension of one year. HQN is supported by The Public Affairs Company (PAC) and Acceleris Marketing Communications Ltd who are sub-contracted to deliver the parliamentary and communications part of the service. excellent, value for money and customer-led housing services for residents in partnership with their local councils. Members seek to promote innovation and continuous improvement in providing, managing and maintaining affordable homes in sustainable neighbourhoods. Our members are open and accountable organisations that actively promote equality and social cohesion. They remain rooted in their local communities and work in partnership with others to help deliver locally determined priorities. Members share good practice and help support other members of the NFA.

Who we are

Money, money, money

At a time of unprecedented cuts in public sector spending, the NFA joined forces with the NHF and the CIH to submit a joint submission to the comprehensive spending review (CSR) which concluded in October 2010.

Our core values

Members of the NFA aspire to provide

Decent Homes funding

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Since it was established in 2003 the NFA has:

Established itself as the recognised trade body for all ALMOs. Successfully lobbied for additional rounds of ALMO funding (rounds 5 and 6), for 2.4 billion Decent Homes funding in the spending review period 2008-2011 and for a further 1.6 billion in the current spending period up to 2015. Successfully lobbied for the re-instatement of some Decent Homes funding for Round Six ALMOs whose funding was threatened in 2009 and 2010. Established that ALMOs have a long-term future after completion of the Decent Homes programme with the publication of the Communities and Local Government review of ALMOs in June 2006. Developed proposed alternatives to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy system that are now being implemented by the government under self financing. Successfully lobbied for amendments to legislation which enables ALMOs to apply directly for anti-social behaviour orders. Obtained amendments to the tax regime so that ALMOs do not have to pay Corporation Tax on services provided for councils. Secured amendments to legislation and policy to enable ALMOs to access Social Housing Grant and the Extra Care Housing Fund. Developed joint working and partnership arrangements with other housing agencies including joint work with local authorities and TMOs. Produced a series of reports on ALMO futures and good practice as well as regular updates and briefings on issues relevant to the sector.
Ferri Jebelli, neighbourhood housing officer at Stockport Homes, with local children planting daffodil bulbs in Reddish, Stockport

Despite massive cuts to the overall housing capital programme it was a relief to hear the Chancellor of the Exchequer make a clear commitment to meeting Decent Homes in the longer term, although he acknowledged the resources available would not be sufficient to complete the programme in the current CSR period. Less welcome was the news that the last ten per cent of the backlog and all newly arising non-Decent Homes would no longer be funded through Decent Homes allocations and that authorities without ALMOs could also now access funding, without the requirement to first obtain a two-star inspection rating. This meant that tenants in authorities with later round ALMOs would now have to wait much longer before the works could be done to their homes, and was particularly disappointing since a number of ALMOs that would otherwise have completed Decent Homes by 2010 had already had their programmes delayed as a result of decisions by the previous administration. Nevertheless, in view of the very tight economic environment the allocation of 1.2 billion to ALMOs over the next four years will enable us to continue improving the homes of many tenants.

Treasury, the details remain very similar to the prospectus published by the previous administration before the general election. It is particularly gratifying that proposals the NFA, in partnership with CIH and HouseMark, originally developed in 2005 have now received such support across the political and local authority spectrum and will soon become reality. Self financing is no magic bullet and will not necessarily address all the investment needs of the council housing stock, especially in the early years, but finally councils and tenants will be able to have real control over their income and be able to start planning a long-term future for their homes. This is probably the most important development in council housing for three decades but will require a real cultural change in asset management and the development of viable business planning and it is vital that councils and ALMOs start developing this expertise now.

ALMOs have been successfully producing new homes under the previous regime. However, a number of ALMOs are now working in partnership with housing associations and private developers who will build the homes for ALMOs to manage. There may be greater potential for ALMO new build in the future, however, once self financing has been implemented.

Welfare reform
The coalition government introduced the Welfare Reform Bill in February 2011 following its consultation on 21st Century Welfare in 2010. This proposes major changes to all benefits including the introduction of a Universal Credit in order to simplify the welfare system. The Bill also contains the legislation required to implement a number of proposed reforms to housing benefit. As a result of lobbying from a number of organisations including the NFA, the proposal to cut housing benefit by ten per cent for people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months has been dropped. However, there remain a number of concerns for ALMOs, particularly in terms of rent direct and family sized housing benefit payments, which could affect their business plans. The NFA is concerned that the knowledge of the local housing market and use of local discretion which are key parts of administering housing benefit could be lost and this could adversely affect some of our more vulnerable residents.

New build
Less welcome, however, have been the changes to the new build programme including the way in which ALMO and local authority borrowing is being treated. In the NFA's view, effective double counting of prudential borrowing makes it extremely difficult to develop viable schemes compared to housing associations that can access private finance that is not counted in the same way. This is disappointing since a number of

Self financing
Another very welcome development was the decision to implement self financing by 2012. Although there are some issues for councils and ALMOs, particularly in terms of the debt cap and retention of capital receipts by the

Established an All Party Parliamentary Group for ALMOs and built up support for the ALMO movement across all political parties.

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Adapting to change
I recently read an article describing the ALMO movement as the Madonna of social housing.
But its not just this adaptability that will help ALMOs in the future. As I travel around the country visiting tenants and providers, its easy to pick up the sense of real commitment to tenant involvement and empowerment that forms the bedrock of many of our most successful ALMOs. As we move forward into a new era of localism, I believe that its this sense of mutual respect and value that will enable ALMOs to continue to flourish. So it comes as no surprise to me that of the 31 housing providers who have achieved TPAS accreditation to date in England, seven of these are ALMOs. Berneslai Homes, East North East Homes Leeds, West North West Homes Leeds, Sheffield Homes, St Leger Homes of Doncaster, Salix Homes and Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing have all achieved our gruelling TPAS Quality Mark in resident involvement. In 2010, it was an ALMO, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, who became the first organisation in England to secure re-accreditation for a further three years. And like Madonna, ALMOs feature heavily when it comes to handing out awards. Its no accident that ALMOs feature hugely in both the shortlists and the winners of our own TPAS awards year on year. ALMOs have demonstrated strong commitment to tenant involvement, including tenant-led scrutiny, and it was a fitting tribute that Salix Homes won not only the outstanding achievement in housing in England for its scrutiny work, but also the outstanding achievement in housing across the UK in this years UKHA awards. So theres plenty of evidence to fill me with hope that ALMOs will help to lead the way as we enter a new era of co-regulation, and as the role of tenants as decision-makers is set to increase. There is no doubt that tenant-led scrutiny will continue to grow with the advent of the new Localism Bill, local tenant panels, and a refreshed regulatory framework on its way. ALMOs have already shown their willingness to embrace this, and have realised that good tenant-led scrutiny can have positive financial and social impact on the organisation. Tenant involvement in procurement practices is also alive and kicking in the sector. I regularly quote the impact that Sheffield Homes have seen on their business, saving almost 2 million to date by staff and tenants working together on ensuring value for money. And there are exciting new options ahead as ALMOs and their tenants consider the implications of new ways of working. Proposals for longer-term management agreements and even the opportunity to create Community- and Council-Owned Organisations (CoCos) are all exciting new developments for the ALMO sector to discuss. Its clear that ALMOs already understand and are reaping the benefits of tenants and landlords working together. Its that combined expertise which allows them to flourish, despite the difficult times we are facing. With their newly gained title as the Madonna of social housing, I hope that ALMOs will continue to be a ray of light across the housing landscape in the coming year.

The view from Westminster

At the end of this period ALMOs can look forward with a greater degree of certainty knowing where they stand on Decent Homes funding, the introduction of a new system of housing finance and likely greater protection for tenants when contracts are reviewed. From the outset warm words were said about ALMOs by the new coalition ministers, Grant Shapps and Andrew Stunell (both of whom have ALMOs in their constituencies), and the NFA was pleased to see that their support translated into a Decent Homes settlement which was not as bad for the ALMO sector as had been feared, with 1.6 billion being allocated to ALMOs and local authorities. The wholesale reform of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was contained in the Localism Bill which is now making its way through Parliament. This forms the centrepiece of the government's efforts to devolve power, and this principle of empowerment is one the ALMO movement shares. The issues the NFA has raised with Parliamentarians are where the principle is not reflected by the reality. This includes seeking assurances that councils will be able to retain 100 per cent of capital receipts after the current spending round ends in 2015; that the HRA will be effectively ringfenced; and for tenants to be able to participate in the Community Right to Challenge scheme so that they can bid to run local services. A measure the NFA wanted to see in the Bill is one to address the failure of guidance to ensure that tenants are fully involved and consulted when a council is proposing to abolish an ALMO and take housing management back in-house. A major lobbying campaign was mounted to demonstrate that the guidance is being openly flouted and that to protect tenants there needs to be a statutory requirement detailing the steps a council must take. Alison Inman was invited by the Parliamentary committee scrutinising the Bill to give evidence in person and in addition to briefings being provided and questions asked in Parliament, meetings have been held with MPs from across the party political spectrum. The near universal support elicited from these led to an amendment being tabled to the Bill with the minister, Andrew Stunell, announcing at the end of the debate in the Commons that a review of the guidance would take place. A further piece of legislation that would have an impact on ALMO tenants is the Welfare Reform Bill which proposes the replacement of the panoply of benefits with a single streamlined benefit. The NFA is lobbying to ensure that the housing element of Universal Credit is paid, as now, direct to social landlords and has a meeting with officials at the DWP to press the case. The dissolution of the last Parliament meant the end of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for ALMOs as it was. But no sooner had the new Parliament assembled, the Group was re-established. Although many of its previous members were no longer in the House, work has been going on to attract new members and to ensure that former members re-join. MPs Clive Betts and Tom Brake kindly agreed to continue as chair and vice-chair respectively, and are supported by new officers Sarah Newton and Heidi Alexander. Meetings so far have covered: the impact on ALMOs of the policies of the new government, the NFA's call for the government to better protect tenants from councils taking ALMOs back in-house without proper consultation and the future diversification of ALMOs including the outcome of the NFA report on the community ownership option. Meetings have all been well attended by officers and tenants from a number of ALMOs. In the autumn of 2010, APPG hosted a tea reception in Parliament, sponsored by Keepmoat, to encourage debate on the future of ALMOs. The event was well attended: over 100 ALMO representatives from 52 ALMOs made the trip to Westminster and 47 MPs and Peers came to meet them. The event provided tenants with an invaluable opportunity to meet their local MPs and discuss issues in their areas. Guests heard from the Communities and Local Government Minister, Andrew Stunell, and his Labour opposite number, Jack Dromey, on the role that each saw ALMOs taking in meeting the country's future housing needs. Both were very supportive of the ALMO model, with Mr Stunell saying that: ALMOs have a level of tenant participation that has completely eluded councils in the past. It's a new model and it has been a successful one.

It was always likely to be an interesting year for ALMOs with a General Election in May 2010, the chance of a significant intake of new MPs representing areas covered by ALMOs and a change of Government. And so it has proven to be.

Michelle Reid, chief executive of TPAS

At first I thought this was a comment on NFA chair Alison Inmans vocal prowess, which is considerable. On closer reading though, Ross MacMillans 24dash article was a thought-provoking commentary on the way that ALMOs and their tenants have consistently and swiftly adapted to the changing housing landscape. Like the famous singer, ALMOs have been able to re-invent themselves over the years and respond quickly to ensure they can still provide what their audience of tenants, funders and stakeholders want. That ability has helped ALMOs to cope with some of the enormous policy shifts in social housing weve seen in the past twelve months and could prove to be the key to surviving the years ahead.

TPAS (the Tenant Participation Advisory Service)

TPAS is a not-for-profit membership organisation that provides information, consultancy, training and conferences on all aspects of involving tenants in their housing management. TPAS works with its members, comprising social housing residents and landlords, to maximise tenant participation and to develop successful partnerships between residents' groups and their housing organisations.
Lean on me - sheltered housing tenant walks arm-inarm with a Nottingham City Homes support worker

www.tpas.org.uk Tel. 0161 868 3500

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Awards 2011

The National Federation of ALMOs

The NFA Awards were set up to celebrate best practice in the social housing sector, as well as to recognise ALMO staff, tenants and projects for going above and beyond the call of duty to improve communities and lives across England.

Policy briefing
With a new coalition government in place, a comprehensive spending review, changes to Decent Homes funding, the implementation of self financing and the introduction of the Localism and Welfare Reform Bills it has been a busy year for ALMOs and the NFA. We were delighted that two ALMO chairs, Rupert Tyson from Hackney Homes and Sue Roberts from Wolverhampton Homes, who is also NFA vice chair, received MBEs in the New Year Honours List. We have also seen the development of an innovative new ALMO concept when East Kent Housing went live on 1 April 2011. It manages 18,000 homes on behalf of four district councils: Canterbury, Dover, Shepway and Thanet. But at the same time we have said goodbye to seven ALMOs that have gone back in-house and four that have now completed stock transfers. As ALMOs complete their Decent Homes Programmes and discuss the future with their councils and tenants, the relationship with their local authority has come increasingly to the fore. With self financing being introduced in 2012 many more councils will start this discussion with their tenants and ALMOs. However, the NFA is concerned that not all the reviews carried out so far have been rigorous in considering all the options fully and fairly and nor have tenants necessarily been genuinely involved in the decision making. At the end of the day the final outcome is dependent on local circumstances but the NFA has developed guiding principles in relationships between ALMOs and councils, produced jointly with the councils with ALMOs group (CWAG), as well as a toolkit for ALMOs about to engage in a review of their management contracts. Over the course of the year the NFA has engaged widely with the sector on its community ownership proposals, including a major conference in March 2011, and has also had very useful and productive discussions with other stakeholders including the four national tenant bodies and the local authority bodies as well as CLG, HCA, TSA and lenders. During 2010 the NFA carried out a members' survey in order to assess the service it offers. Overall responses from members indicated that the NFA is delivering a value for money service in accordance with their priorities. A report on ALMO practice in board member remuneration was also produced while regional seminars for new and relatively new ALMO board directors in November 2010 set the scene on the background and current context for the sector as a whole, and explained to members what the NFA does on their behalf and the services that it provides. The NFA Articles of Association have been amended to enable a new form of affiliate membership for organisations that are not ALMOs but which share the aims and objectives of the sector. Bolton at Home [which was previously an ALMO but has now gone down the stock transfer route] has taken up this option. The NFA Standing Orders have also been updated. We have produced a number of briefings for ALMOs and MPs on: giving tenants a right to determine who should manage their homes, self financing, Decent Homes funding, changes to housing benefit, welfare reform, new build and fire safety. In addition we have published Portraits of Success, sponsored by Kier Building Maintenance, featuring finalists for the NFA Awards 2010, as well as our regular ALMOs in Action newsletters. Details of all the above can be found on the NFA website at www.almos.org.uk

Now in their fifth year, the Awards have attracted over 1,100 entries and the calibre of submissions has always been of an impressive standard. Because of this, judging the awards is always a challenging process so we would like to thank all the ALMOs who entered, and congratulate the winners and finalists for making it through to the shortlist. This year, the ceremony is being held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on 12 July at the NFA's annual general meeting.

The finalists in the 2011 Awards are as follows:

Most Effective Partnership
CityWest Homes Westminster Works project Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing Breaking In, Saving Lives project Stockport Homes Making a Difference Together in Offerton project

ALMO Team Member of the Year

Derby Homes Liz Wilcox Homes for Haringey Mary Keane Hounslow Homes Ian McGee

Board Member of the Year

Berneslai Homes Clair Wright East Durham Homes Marion Brunskill South Tyneside Homes Joyce Welsh

Most Outstanding Young Person

Homes for Haringey Derekston James Homes for Northumberland Stephen Stanners Hounslow Homes Torron-Lee Dewar Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing Jess Cullen South Essex Homes Zoe Kelly

Best Use of Communication

Derby Homes Its Not Good Enough DVD Northwards Community Housing We Love Complaints Nottingham City Homes The Recipe for Making BREAD project

Best Community Initiative

Ashfield Homes Spade Aid Derby Homes Arboretum Community Initiative Homes for Islington Soul in the City Festival

Most Innovative Project

Blackpool Coastal Housing The BCH Academy Newark and Sherwood Retrofit West North West Homes, Leeds On Your Bike project

Most Outstanding Resident

Berneslai Homes Elsie Smith CityWest Homes Sue Walsh Hackney Homes Tony Osborne

The winners in 2010 were as follows:

Most Effective Partnership
Winner People 1st Slough Hot Blocks

ALMO Team Member of the Year

Winner Julie Chipperfield, Hostel Manager South Essex Homes

Board Member of the Year

Winner Alf Chandler Hounslow Homes

Best Community Initiative

Joint Winners Blackpool Coastal Housing - Travelers site community centre West North West Homes Leeds - Armley Mosque project

Most Outstanding Young Person

Joint Winners Rui Jorge Octavio - Barnet Homes Jessica Perry - Brent Housing Partnership

Best Use of Communication

Winner South Essex Homes Southenders project

Most Innovative Project

Winner Solihull Community Housing Fast Track Assessment Service

Most Outstanding Resident

Winner Maureen Norman Gloucester City Homes

People's Choice Award

Winner West North West Homes Leeds Armley Mosque project

Youngsters from Oakfield Infants School in Gateshead take part in a 'Junior Estate Tour' of their area organised by The Gateshead Housing Company

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Supporting the vulnerable

We are regularly informed of ways in which ALMOs care for the more vulnerable members of our society. Here are some examples from the last year.

SAFE AS HOUSES
Children under five have been the focus of Northwards Housing's latest resident safety campaign run by its team of wardens. In partnership with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Northwards Housing has rolled out Safe At Home, a sixmonth initiative which aims to prevent accidents in the home involving very young children. Nearly 400 families across north Manchester have benefited from a range of equipment specially designed to keep under-fives out of harm's way, such as safety gates, fire guards, cupboard locks, corner cushions and more - all for free. Wardens received full training to install the equipment and have seen their role expand in the community as a result of the scheme. In addition, a portion of the funds generated by Safe at Home has benefited residents at the other end of the age scale. The wardens used
Playing it safe - Northwards Housing resident Rebecca Lightbowne and her son Caleb

Every day, arm's length management organisations (ALMOs) provide a wide range of services to households and entire communities. Due to this unrivalled level of tenant engagement, ALMOs are uniquely placed to identify areas where a more specialist approach may be required and are often the first to know when someone is in need of help.

some of the money to install a new set of security doors at Northwards' Joseph Dean Court retirement scheme in Moston. Tony Dalton, wardens' manager at Northwards Housing, said: Safe at Home has been a real success story for residents. According to RoSPA, accidental injuries are the most common cause of death in children over one year of age, so this scheme has helped us to make a potentially huge difference to the lives of families in north Manchester. The fact we've been able to give Joseph Dean Court residents greater security at the same time has been a wonderful bonus, too. Resident Rebecca Lightbowne, of Miles Platting, was pleased to receive the safety equipment to help protect her son Caleb around the house. She said: I would like to say a huge thanks to the Northwards Housing wardens. The equipment has been a godsend, especially as Caleb has a habit of climbing everywhere!

LESS IS MORE
Essex-based ALMO South Essex Homes has been working with residents who suffer from Diogenes syndrome, a condition which causes the excessive collection and retention of possessions to such an extent that it can result in unsanitary and unsafe living conditions. Sufferers have been known to collect a wide range of items such as bottles, books or newspapers, often dating back several years. Residents of any age can suffer from the syndrome but often the elderly and isolated are the most vulnerable. South Essex Homes is currently working with ten Diogenes syndrome sufferers to return their properties to a safe and habitable condition. The team at South Essex Homes often sees properties where residents struggle to move through the pathways created in the homes by piles of clutter, often sitting adjacent to cookers and heaters, which can cause accidents, fires and infestation. As well as facilitating the tidying of residents' properties, the South Essex Homes team regularly provides support to sufferers who have formed an emotional attachment to their possessions, even if the items are worthless. Forcibly removing items from a sufferer's property can be extremely detrimental to the health of the resident and a response tailored to the needs of each individual is imperative. Tenancy sustainment team member, Steve Turner, said: Extreme hoarding may not sound like a serious issue but some of the cases with which we have dealt are a serious health risk to the resident themselves, and to the wider community. Those who suffer from this syndrome need tailored care solutions and this is what we strive to provide. South Essex Homes has a specialist team of tenancy sustainment professionals who manage all cases of Diogenes syndrome and a resident volunteer group is currently being established to help clear and maintain the homes of sufferers. South Essex Homes chief executive, Mike Gatrell, said: This is just another example of the work we do as a housing management organisation to help our residents to improve their quality of life.
South Essex Homes helps residents tackle excessive clutter

A TAILORED SERVICE
To ensure sheltered housing tenants only pay for the support they need, instead of a universal set rate, Carrick Housing has implemented an innovative banded charging system to personalise support services to its tenants. Working in partnership with Coastline Housing Ltd, Devon and Cornwall Housing Association and Cornwall's Supporting People team, Carrick Housing changed its charging system to ensure it fairly reflected the services actually received by sheltered housing residents. The Cornwall ALMO, working with two local housing associations, is one of only a few social housing organisations in the country to implement a banded charging system in this way. Prior to April 2010, all tenants living in Carrick's sheltered housing schemes were charged for a housing support service even if they didn't need it. Tenants paid the same amount regardless of the level of support they required. Following a thorough consultation with tenants at three sheltered housing complexes, a banded charging system was introduced. This enabled tenants to opt out of the support service and ensured that tenants who needed support only paid for what they actually received. This also freed up staff capacity to provide support to other vulnerable tenants in tenancies outside of the traditional sheltered housing scheme. Sheltered housing tenant Mrs Paul from St Agnes used to pay 31.29 per week. Following the introduction of the banded charging system and an assessment of her needs, she now only pays 6.50 per week, saving her a total of 1,289 per year. This charge covers the cost of an emergency alarm and low level assistance from a supported housing officer. As a result of implementing the banding system, Carrick Housing is also able to accurately assess staff capacity. Due to tenants choosing to opt out of the support service altogether, staff can now go outside of the sheltered schemes and support other older and vulnerable tenants who were previously unable to access support without moving into sheltered accommodation. Miss Bell of Falmouth is one such tenant living outside of sheltered housing who has benefited from this extra support. She said: As I have no family or friends to help me, I would not be able to manage without Carrick Housing. Before this, I had difficulty sorting out my post and making sure my bills were paid. It's also hard for me to leave my home as I have problems getting up and down the steps. I was ending up in debt with very little money to keep myself and my little dog Tina. Now I know everything is organised and no one will know my business as my support worker from Carrick Housing keeps it all private for me. Carrick Housing's work so far has concentrated on tenants. Future plans will look at broadening this service to residents in the community, regardless of tenure.
Support where it's needed - some of Carrick's sheltered housing tenants

SAFE AT LAST
2010 Rotherham is supporting vulnerable young people in the area by backing a local charity which protects under-16s who feel the need to run away from home. Last year, the ALMO joined forces with RotherFed, a local tenants' and residents' association, to support a Big Bop dance event to raise money for registered charity safe@last. 2010 Rotherham funded part of the event and staff also raised money on the day. safe@last works with and on behalf of youngsters who see running away from home as their only option, for a multitude of reasons including abuse and neglect. The charity provides intervention and breathing space and most importantly safety for young people at a crucial time. It offers a 24-hour helpline, a missing young people's service, a preventative education programme and the only refuge in England outside of London specifically for children and young people 16 years and under. The charity claims as many as one in nine children under the age of 16 in South Yorkshire feel the need to run away from home. Since 2005, it has worked with 4,000 children and has helped make a difference in the lives of many of them. 2010 Rotherham staff joined other organisations to promote Big Bop t-shirts on the day, designed by vulnerable young people at Thrybergh School and Sports College. Later, residents and staff across the borough tuned into local radio station Rother FM at exactly 2.15pm to dance to the steps of the 'Cha-Cha Slide', getting fit and raising money all at the same time. Altogether, RotherFed and partners raised around 3,200 for the charity. Following the success of the initiative, plans are already underway to make the safe@last fundraiser an annual event.

Big bop! - 2010 Rotherham staff support local charity

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The biggest questions facing housing organisations in this modern era include - why should we embrace digital technology and social networking to communicate with tenants, residents, employers and partners, and why is it beneficial?
Reports indicate between 50 and 60 per cent of social housing residents have online access. Therefore online communications and particularly social networking should be a serious and effective part of the communications strategy for any housing organisation. As forward-thinking, innovative organisations by nature, ALMOs have embraced online and social media in many ways and this digital revolution is only set to grow stronger.

Going online

WEBSITE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

Tower Hamlets Homes has carried out an in-house assessment of its website to ensure it is accessible for residents with sensory impairments. Following a survey which found 287 of its tenants are blind or have low vision, the London ALMO investigated its website to ensure it fulfiled the necessary criteria for a range of sensory impairments. A further seven per cent of respondents in the poll said they cannot read English. Checks carried out using the online WAVE service of WebAIM, a recognised body promoting accessibility online, found the website suitable for users with various difficulties, including deafness, blindness and colour blindness. The website is also compatible with different browsers and offers translations for residents whose first language is not English. In addition, using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, the site has been measured at the reading age of 14. In general, the lower the reading age of a site, the more accessible it is. Tower Hamlets Homes has also uploaded leaflets and other information onto the site in MP3 format, enabling users, whether residents or ALMO staff, to conveniently download audio files to disc, PC, iPod or smartphone. For more information, please visit: www.towerhamletshomes.org.uk

HOMES ON THE NET

Following the launch of its new website last summer, Wolverhampton Homes implemented a campaign to encourage more customers to get online, increase awareness and traffic to the new website and boost customer engagement via social media. The campaign, aimed at residents both with internet experience and those who have never used it, had several strands which were used together for maximum effect. The website www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk was officially launched at Wolverhamptons biggest public event, the City Show, in July 2010. Since then, the ALMO has continued to develop its social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare and LinkedIn to drive traffic to the website and engage with tenants and stakeholders. The website was, and continues to be, promoted through Tenants Update and Leaseholder News, Wolverhampton Homes two customer newsletters, as well as leaflets, the organisations annual report, posters and events. In addition, in the past six months, Wolverhampton Homes has held two Homes on the Net events where customers who have never used the internet are invited to come along and be shown how to use it. These events have proven hugely popular with tenants and are part of the organisations ongoing digital inclusion strategy. To date, the campaign has resulted in a 400 per cent increase in visits to the website, more than 800 followers on Twitter and 190 likes on Facebook. In the next phase of development for the website, the services that customers can access online will be increased to offer greater choice and convenience. Kate Hughes, communications manager at Wolverhampton Homes, said: We have always looked to provide our customers with relevant information in the way they want to receive it and increasingly this is online. In 2010, we updated our website to make it more user-friendly and have also been focusing on social media as an important way to engage with tenants. For many of our customers, access to the internet is still an issue, whether that is because of a lack of facilities or lack of knowledge. Events such as Homes on the Net and developing a digital inclusion strategy are important steps to help tackle this.

FREE WEBSITE TRAINING

Lewisham Homes has provided its local tenants and residents associations (TRAs) with free online training to help them set up their own websites. Pam OConnor, web editor at Lewisham Homes, worked alongside the ALMOs community involvement team to design and provide the training to residents between November 2010 and March this year. The sessions aimed to teach the basics of web development, giving residents the tools to set up and maintain a website for their own TRA. All those TRAs which attended the training have launched websites including: Fairfields, Tanners Hill, Sayes Court, Honor Oak, Baizdon Road and Bampton. The intention is to use the sites to help organise future events and meetings and also to attract others to join the TRA. Feedback from residents has been very positive. Sue Thompson, chair of the Fairfields TRA, said: [The training] has been absolutely brilliant. Its helped me a lot on the computer in general but has also been really useful in helping to organise and run the TRA. The web training was requested by residents through the ALMOs residents business plan for 2010/11. Lewisham Homes recognises how training can make TRAs stronger and more sustainable. Its full programme of free courses includes training in committee skills, managing a community premises, applying for and managing funding, managing events and projects and health & safety and risk assessments. Due to the success of the web training, Lewisham Homes has confirmed it will be offering the training again as part of next years residents business plan.

Lewisham Homes' web editor, Pam O'Connor, leads free website training session

YOUTUBE IT!
St Leger Homes of Doncaster has been using the popular video-sharing website YouTube as a cost-effective way of communicating key information to its tenants, especially the young, and making that information more accessible. Video topics cover the ALMOs services, organisational improvements and partnerships with other local agencies and organisations. A series of clips, entitled Making a Difference (MAD) Box TV, show staff explaining services, how jobs are being completed more costeffectively and how tasks are being done differently in order to deliver a better service to tenants. Susan Jordan, the chief executive of St Leger Homes, said: We are keen to use every available method to keep tenants informed. Also, our younger tenants tend to use technology such as YouTube and the internet to find out information rather than ringing the company or reading the information in a leaflet.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA COULD BENEFIT YOUR ALMO?
HQN recently published a highly useful report entitled Social networking for social housing an introduction which is available for download on www.hqnetwork.org.uk

Wolverhampton Homes tenant takes part in Homes on the Net event

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TAKING ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO NEW HEIGHTS

Teams of abseilers scaling buildings across Islington may seem like a strange sight, but in reality it is Homes for Islington's (HFI's) innovative way of insulating homes under its management. As part of HFIs aim to improve housing in the area, it has undertaken a major project to fit cavity wall insulation at nearly 8,000 properties. This is to reduce the amount of heat lost through walls and therefore residents heating bills. To complete the work, the ALMO used a combination of traditional access methods such as scaffolding and cherry pickers, with, somewhat less conventionally, operatives from Avalon Abseiling, a firm which aims to provide a viable, quicker alternative to scaffolding, minimising disruption and clutter for residents. Islington is only the second borough in the
Abseiler appointed by Homes for Islington to fit cavity wall insulation on Dixon Clark Court, Highbury Corner

country to use abseilers in this way. The insulation will keep properties warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It will also help residents to save money on their fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions associated with heating use. HFI estimates that the insulation could help to save residents up to 115 on their fuel bills and will reduce CO2 emissions by 610 kg the equivalent of boiling a kettle 10,000 times. Stephen Kirrage, HFIs director of property services, said: We want to give our residents the best value for money we can both when doing work to their homes and in saving them money in the longer term. We are not afraid to use a new way of working to improve our services if they can be shown to be beneficial such as these abseilers.

With climate change and CO2 emission targets higher on the agenda than ever, ALMOs have an important part to play in helping the country towards its environmental objectives.
One million council properties, millions of tenants, thousands of close-knit communities and award-winning teams who have proven regularly they take their environmental responsibilities seriously - that's a lot of scope to make a difference. There's a wide range of innovative and successful energy-efficiency initiatives going on across the country. Here are just a few of them.

NOT JUST A LOT OF HOT AIR

Residents in Kirklees could see their fuel bills cut nearly in half following a project by Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) to install ground source heat pumps at 180 properties in Huddersfield.
Tenant Susan Rutherford with green doctor Jason Beedle, as part of a scheme offered by Sheffield Homes to run free home energy health checks on properties

The Fernside, Coule Royd & Cow Heys project run by KNH focused on council-owned onebedroom flats and bungalows with mostly elderly and low-income tenants. The properties' electric storage heaters were nearing the end of their lives and KNH aimed to replace them with the most energy-efficient, low carbon technology available. An ambitious solar panel project by Solihull Community Housing (SCH) has proved an enormous success, saving more than 28,000 even before the total installation was completed in September. The scheme to harness solar energy for housing stock in the north of Solihull is one of the largest of its kind in the country and saw the fitting of solar panels to 37 of SCH's high-rise blocks in Chelmsley Wood and Kingshurst over the last three years. The panels convert the energy of sunlight directly into electricity, which is used to power the lighting in communal areas of the blocks. Although electricity from other sources is needed to light these spaces at night, the panels have considerably reduced the amount of non-renewable energy used and are expected to cut CO2 produced by the blocks by 2,200 tonnes over their operational life. SCH received funding of 588,000 from the government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme and a further 240,000 in other grants to meet 75 per cent of the installation costs. To celebrate the completion of the project, the deputy mayor of Solihull, Councillor Norman Davies, met SCH board members and officers, local councillors and partners on 7th September. The group was shown one of the panels - on top of Redwood House, Kingshurst - and the digital device used to monitor the amount of electricity the panels generate. SCH chair, Dr Ashley Lane, said: "We are delighted to have completed this innovative programme. The panels will help to protect us against rising fuel costs, as well as being an important part of our climate change strategy, reducing our carbon footprint and achieving more energy self sufficiency." For more information about this project please contact Solihull Community Housing on 0121 717 1515. Following feasibility studies, geographical surveys and site and accessibility research, the most suitable low carbon solution proved to be ground source heat pumps (GSHPs). As a result, E.ON Heatplant by Calorex 5kW pumps that deliver 100 per cent of domestic heating and hot water requirements were

installed. Before work began on individual properties, loft insulation was topped up to 300mm per home (above current building regulations), cavity wall insulation was provided and all windows were UPVC double glazed. Recently, KNH conducted a case study to see how much tenants will save on their heating bills with their new heat pumps. In 2009-10, one tenant's annual electricity consumption was 9514.93 kWh. Following the installation of a GSHP, the same tenant used 3028 kWh between 10 September 2010 and 10 March 2011 (including the coldest winter of recent times). This is a clear indication that the ground source heat pumps reduce electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. Cutting energy use will also cut tenants' fuel bills, which will help tackle fuel poverty. Resident

Tenant (left) and KNH staff on day of GSHP handover

Stephen Cunningham said: Since having my home heated by the ground source heat pump, my bills have been reduced, but it's not just the cost savings; I also like the fact that I'm doing my bit for the environment too. The scheme is a key element of the second phase of KNH's mission, after completing Decent Homes in 2007 - to achieve 'Quality Homes and Services in Successful Communities'. Ensuring that the community backed the project was essential and representatives from the local tenants and residents association, tenants, KNH staff and ward councillors were involved throughout. Meetings were held with all interested parties to plan how the project could be delivered on a housing estate where people live and go about their daily lives.

LIGHTING THE WAY

KEEPING SOLAR ENERGY MOBILE

Gloucester City Homes (GCH) has taken an innovative and energy-efficient approach to keeping its elderly residents on the move by installing solar power for charging mobility scooters. Residents at the Clapham Court sheltered housing scheme in Kingsholm can now charge their mobility scooters for free after GCH installed photovoltaic cells on the roof of the tenstorey block of flats. While mobility scooters in themselves are nonpolluting, charging them traditionally from mains electricity has a negative effect on the environment due to CO2 emissions from power stations. Using clean, green solar power negates this impact on the environment. The power is channelled into a new buggy store for the residents to easily charge their vehicles. In addition to this, the power produced will enable mobility scooters to be charged at GCH's ten other sheltered schemes across the city as well as feeding any surplus back into the National Grid. GCH chief executive Ashley Green said: I am delighted that this new scheme is helping to keep our residents mobile, with the added bonus of saving costs and benefiting the environment.

Lightening the load - SCH chair Dr Ashley Lane with new solar panels

Solar power helps keep GCH sheltered housing residents mobile

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New era for ALMOs

There is substantial evidence that overall, ALMOs outperform traditional local authorities and housing associations in delivering the housing service. In addition to achieving Decent Homes and improving services, ALMOs have played a key role in increasing resident satisfaction, delivering significant levels of efficiencies and enabling residents to have a real say in decisions about their homes. ALMOs, in the main, are managing the most intractable council housing stock in terms of its age, type and repair history. They are also tried and proven delivery vehicles that offer the flexibility to adapt to local circumstances. The NFA has always recognised that ALMOs are likely to diversify according to local needs and in some cases ALMOs have moved on through the stock transfer route or returned to their home authorities. However, the creation of new ALMOs such as East Kent Housing and Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust, as well as extensions to the functions delivered by a number of existing ALMOs, has demonstrated that the ALMO vehicle can do much more than just deliver Decent Homes. One of the benefits of the ALMO structure is its ability to be adapted to local circumstances. What works in one area may not be appropriate somewhere else. For this reason the NFA has produced a series of publications, ALMOs a new future for council housing - pub 2005 A future for ALMOs within local communities - pub 2009 Building on the potential of ALMOs to invest in local communities - pub 2011, which consider how ALMOs might build on their strengths and develop in the future. Our most recent report considers proposals for creating a new form of organisation with strengthened accountability to tenants and to the community, and which could raise new resources independently from government finances. This would be particularly relevant in councils where self financing will not provide sufficient resources for their investment needs. Three potential models have been developed, all intended to achieve five specific aims: First, building on self financing post-2012 to enable additional, private sector, off-balancesheet financing where this is needed to meet important investment requirements. Second, to provide opportunities for greater tenant empowerment. Third, retaining the strong element of partnership with the local authority. Fourth, providing one or more models which will by meeting the other aims - offer sustainable options to local authorities, and their tenants, for ALMO management of their council housing in the long term. Fifth, enabling councils, their ALMOs and tenants to make informed local choices and if appropriate adopt and adapt one of the options so that it suits their requirements.

It is an exciting and challenging time for ALMOs. From the first eight ALMOs that went live in 2002 until the current day the sector has been noticeable for its dynamic and innovative approach.
Three potential models have been developed to enable additional, off-balance-sheet, financing by ALMOs (private finance) by securing their reclassification as private, non-profit corporations, while further empowering tenants and retaining the strong element of partnership with the local authority: Model 1 long-term management contract based on the ALMO having a much longer contract and on the local authority having a one-third (rather than sole) interest in the ALMOs ownership.

The NF A welcomes...

...After nearly three years of planning, the first ever super ALMO, East Kent Housing, which has been set up to provide housing management services to council tenants in four local authorities across Kent.

Model 2 long-term management contract and transfer of some vacant properties or land similar to model 1 but with some limited transfer. Model 3 transfer to a Community and Council-Owned Organisation (CoCo) a more fundamental change both in the ALMOs constitution and in its becoming the owner of the stock, but on a different basis to current stock transfers. Decisions on whether to adopt or adapt any of the approaches set out in the report will be made at local level, nor will they be relevant or suitable for every case. Nevertheless, it is important to ensure as wide a range of options as possible in order to provide all council tenants with a sustainable future for council housing.

Staff from all four councils join together before transferring to East Kent Housing

Mr Dave Aldred, Dover area tenant representative, speaks at the launch of East Kent Housing

By creating East Kent Housing, the ALMO has become the biggest housing provider in Kent managing over 18,000 homes and is providing a possible glimpse of the future of ALMOs. Launched in April 2011, East Kent Housing is the 71st ALMO to be created to manage council homes and is unique in two ways. Firstly, it has been created from the housing departments of multiple neighbouring local authorities - Canterbury, Dover, Shepway and Thanet. Secondly, its main focus is on sharing services in order to achieve cost efficiencies and provide better quality housing for tenants, rather than deriving funding from the Decent Homes Programme (all its housing stock was already up to the Decent Homes standard when it was established but future estate regeneration is required). In 2010, a detailed business case for a shared housing management service was approved by the four district councils and a full consultation run with tenants and leaseholders on the plans to unite specific housing services. Sixty-nine per cent of respondents backed the proposals.

Barnet Homes residents race in the street during a three-day Urban Games festival at the ALMOs largest estate, Grahame Park, in the summer of 2010

East Kent Housing has a 30-year contract with the councils involved and 220 members of staff have transferred to the new organisation. It is estimated that the new ALMO will be able to save 600,000 a year on direct costs by streamlining its services, reducing back office functions and creating economies of scale. The savings will be invested into improving services and other areas agreed with the councils and their tenants. While many services will be shared, each council will operate its own letting policy, including setting its own rents, and will continue to take key housing decisions in their own districts. The East Kent Housing Board follows a similar structure to existing ALMOs but with one tenant from each authority taking a place to ensure equal representation. The organisation has also created area boards to set local standards and scrutinise services. The fact that the organisation has been set up outside the traditional ALMO funding regime linked to the Decent Homes Programme, is evidence that ALMOs and their tenant centred model have a strong and continuing role to play in managing Englands council homes.

This view is supported by the large numbers of ALMOs such as Derby Homes, Cheltenham Borough Homes, Solihull Community Housing, and Nottingham City Homes which have all had their management agreements extended. Indeed, East Kent Housing has already received enquiries from other ALMOs and local authorities who are interested in seeing if the East Kent model could be applied in other parts of the country. Managing Director, Brendan Ryan said: This has been a long journey and working with four different councils will present its own challenges. However we believe that the East Kent model could be applied elsewhere and the lessons that we have learnt in the implementation can be applied to the wider shared services agenda. We are all looking forward to getting on with doing what we promised at the outset, working more closely with tenants and driving up service standards. The NFA is excited to welcome East Kent Housing to the ALMO family and wishes them the best for the future. For more information on the newest ALMO, please visit: www.eastkenthousing.org.uk

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Bulletin board
Individual ALMOs report on a year of activity and achievement

2010 Rotherham
2010/11 was a busy and successful year for Rotherham, with several notable achievements. In October, we appointed two new contractors, Morrison and Willmott Dixon, to deliver our repairs and maintenance services. In December, we celebrated the completion of our Decent Homes Programme, finishing on time with a 98 per cent customer satisfaction rating. We also worked with Rotherham United Community Sports Trust to develop healthier and more cohesive neighbourhoods through the use of exercise. Our gas and electrical services received an internationally-recognised seal of approval - the ISO 9001:2008 - endorsing our robust quality assurance systems. Our commitment to the environment was rewarded with two significant awards: Significant Improver award (second year running) for the Business in the Community Environmental Index. Property and the Built Environment award (with Bramall and Urbed) in the national Sustain Awards for our Retrofit for the Future pilot and state-of-the art energy improvements.

Aire Valley Homes Leeds

2010 saw an outstanding performance from Aire Valley Homes Leeds (AVHL) which achieved 100 per cent against the Decent Homes Standard in December. Customer involvement projects have been centred on improving performance in service areas that matter most to tenants. This included creating a tenant scrutiny steering group, and introducing a 'tenants' top ten', which sees tenants setting the standards of service they expect. Satisfaction with AVHL's services has remained high with 97 per cent of customers satisfied with the quality of service received from the contact centre and 99 per cent of customers rating the quality of service received at one stop centres as 'good' or 'excellent'. AVHL has continued to support social inclusion and community regeneration by holding over 30 focus groups, involving tenants in two conferences, meeting hundreds of tenants at local events and undertaking over 1,000 estate walkabouts. We also took part in a mammoth procurement exercise, which has seen the introduction of a new repairs partner. AVHL is looking forward to the improvements, innovations and successes next year will bring as we strive to achieve our vision 'to be the best social housing provider in the UK'.

A1 Housing Bassetlaw
A1 Housing has continued to build on its achievements from previous years and is pleased to have retained its two-star status following one of the final inspections carried out by the Audit Commission in November 2010. This highlighted numerous areas of best practice, including, money advice and rent payment initiatives, gathering and using customer feedback and our energy efficiency projects. This eco-friendly work was also recognised with an edie award for environmental excellence projects. These included the installation of ground and air source heating systems to more than 200 homes to tackle fuel poverty and a retrofit housing project, which is part of a national programme to test ground-breaking energy efficient technology. We have launched a social enterprise, Branching Out, which provides gardening and handyman services to all Bassetlaw residents as well as giving valuable work-based job skills to previously long-term unemployed young people. A tenant scrutiny panel, supported by a team of tenant inspectors now assess all our services and we have increased the number of younger tenants involved through the use of Facebook and a Big Brother-style diary room, which travels around the district to collect tenants' views. Our commitment to providing equal services was also recognised and A1 Housing achieved the Investors in Diversity accreditation. The collapse of Connaught threw a spanner in the works when it came to Decent Homes, but thanks to a successful partnership with our other contractor, Bullock, we were back on track within six weeks.

Ascham Homes
Madeleine Forster joined Ascham Homes, as chief executive, in June 2010. We have a new executive management team in place and an effective strategic partnering board with London Borough of Waltham Forest, focusing on solutions. Ascham Homes has seen improvements in the following areas: 1) The Decent Homes Programme: Contracts have now been let and 3,700 properties are having works done - 1,000 more than planned, at the same cost. 2) Repairs contract: A renegotiated repairs contract is now in place - representing 20 per cent savings in the final quarter 2010/11 and 800,000 savings in 2011/12. 3) Anti-social behaviour: This service has been reviewed and case handling is much quicker. Ninety-two per cent of residents who use the service said that they were satisfied with the way their case was handled. 4) The year ahead: We have over 1 million additional investment in homes and are maximising spend on key estates and working better with partners. At our residents' conference in October 2010, we received positive responses about adopting a neighbourhood management model. Since then, we have been working towards implementing this during 2011/12, to deliver and exceed residents and London Borough of Waltham Forest's service expectations.

ALMOs in the news

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Ashfield Homes
Ashfield Homes Ltd (AHL) was formed in 2002 and employs around 200 people. It has full freedom and independence to make operational decisions in respect of the day-to-day management of the council's housing stock. A number of innovative projects have been undertaken in 2010/11. Among the year's highlights, we: Hosted our first anti-social behaviour (ASB) conference. Launched the Stop Moanin' Start Phonin ASB telephone and text line campaign. Established a new ASB policy, with a new tiered approach and graded response to deal with ASB effectively. Congratulated AHL employee Jeanette Worthington for winning Tenant Involvement Officer of the Year (Central Region) at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) awards. Launched a new tenant involvement structure, including a tenants' gateway, tenant inspectors, mystery shoppers and a tenant scrutiny panel. Developed the National Standards Implementation Group (NSIG) and launched the Ashfield Standards (Tenant Services Authority local offers). Achieved Customer Service Excellence, the government standard, for 2011-14. Reviewed and produced a new tenancy agreement for all tenants. Delivered the Trailblazer and Spade Aid projects, in which young people provide garden assistance to the most vulnerable customers of Ashfield. Installed over 2,500 aerials, including communal systems, ready for the national digital upgrade and trained a number of accredited digital advisors.

Blackpool Coastal Housing

Blackpool Coastal Housing (BCH) will receive 20 million over the next four years to improve the quality of council properties and continue its Decent Homes Programme. Late last year, it was announced that Blackpool had been removed from the list to receive this vital funding, but after a strong bid was submitted the government reconsidered and approximately 5 million a year was granted over the next four years. In July 2010, BCH launched the Tenants' Project Fund and passed control of 100,000 to council tenants, giving them a say on how the money is used to enhance local communities. Five projects have been approved so far, ranging from creating communal garden areas to establishing youth clubs and organising self defence classes. At the 2010 NFA Awards, BCH took Best Community Initiative, sponsored by Connaught Partnerships Limited, a category that celebrates schemes that make a positive difference to community life. This was won because of a successful bid for a 439,972 Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant in 2006 from Communities and Local Government. The BCH Academy, which provides our customers with access to Chartered Institute of Housing-recognised courses, is also still going strong.

Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing

In December 2010, Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing celebrated its third birthday. Since our establishment in 2007, we have overcome a number of weaknesses that were identified by the initial inspection carried out in 2006, which awarded the service a 'no-star' rating. We were re-inspected in February 2010 and awarded one star. In March 2010, we appointed a new chief executive and have since embarked on a major improvement programme that has resulted in stronger performance. We have delivered against all of our inspection recommendations and have developed ambitious service improvement plans for 2011/12 to continue our quest to deliver excellence. Some of our key priorities for the coming year will be to implement resident led self regulation, deliver accessible services to our customers, embed value for money and further promote equality and diversity.

Colchester Borough Homes

It's been another successful year. Our 2010 STATUS survey shows resident satisfaction has increased. We have taken on extra services from the council, including allocations and lettings; made significant progress in our Decent Homes Programme; and engaged more widely with our local community. We have worked in partnership with the probation service on several projects to improve our residents' quality of life. This included installing measures to prevent anti-social motorcycling. Through joint initiatives, we have promoted the safety of our residents. These included Days of Community Action, where we work with the police, council and others. We also hold 'Make a Difference' days, carrying out a range of improvements to local neighbourhoods. We have embraced the Big Society by increasing the number of volunteers, known as quality assurance advisors, who monitor communal services. Our tenant training programme has been very successful and we worked with Job Centre Plus to create Future Jobs Fund opportunities for young people. We were nominated for an NFA Award for our social media project, where we produce inhouse YouTube videos. We were also nominated for a Colchester Business award. We continued to enhance the cultural awareness of our staff and residents. We held a Fijian Day, attended by over 100 residents, complete with a Fijian welcoming ceremony, dances and more and supported the local Black History Month. We celebrated the positive achievements of our residents by holding a range of events including the Good Neighbours Awards, Colchester Youth Awards, and Best Kept Garden competition.

Barnet Homes
Our Decent Homes Programme is over, but the Barnet Homes journey has just begun. We are very proud of our 185 million investment in improvements to homes, blocks and estates over the past six years. We want residents to feel proud of where they live and believe Decent Homes is the starting point. We are now undertaking a 9.5 million redevelopment at three 15storey tower blocks on Granville Road, the biggest project in our history. We'll also be asking residents for their views on how we can best invest further in their homes. We deliver great service at great value. We've saved 15 per cent on our operating costs since our creation in 2004, yet our tenant and leaseholder satisfaction is on the rise. That's been made possible by involving residents ever more closely from having a leaseholder as our Board chair to using a resident-led scrutiny group to challenge our performance and priorities. With a restructured management team in place, we're ready for life after Decent Homes. For example, we're bringing in new business through the creation of Barnet's first ever furniture reuse centre and are set to embark on the most exciting prospect of all - providing additional services on behalf of Barnet Council.

Brent Housing Partnership

Brent Housing Partnership (BHP) is the ALMO that looks after 13,000 council properties in the London Borough of Brent. BHP also now owns and manages 200 of our own properties, and is the first ALMO to own and manage properties on this scale. This is a real milestone for us and an achievement we are very proud of. We have also agreed with Brent Council to borrow approximately 46 million to purchase and develop up to 221 properties in 2011/12. In the past year, the chair and chief executive have been conducting weekly drop-in surgeries for residents across the borough. BHP has also been working on many innovative and groundbreaking projects, including launching a credit union for tenants, a youth editorial board, a youth magazine called Our Say and a sustainable energy programme on the Brentfield Estate, with solar panels and other energy efficiency measures. We hosted a traditional afternoon tea party for residents who have lived in a council property for over 50 years. This was very well received and led to an unexpected reunion of two residents who had not seen each other for over 60 years. Residents are at the heart of BHP; we involve them in all aspects of our business and empower them to influence the way services are delivered.

Cheltenham Borough Homes

2010/11 marked a new era for Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH); we produced our new business plan, taking us to 2020, and construction work began on the first of our new affordable homes. We plan to deliver 76 new homes by the end of 2012, supported by 3.4 million of funding secured from the HCA. Other successes include: Helping tenants into work through our employment initiatives project. Launch of a bursary scheme to support tenants into further education or training. Half-a-million pound environmental improvement works programme, benefiting around 205 flats. Launch of our CBH customer excellence group, an independent scrutiny panel made up of elected tenants. Paul Davies, chief executive at CBH, said: We continue to deliver an excellent service to our customers and the work we have carried out in the last year has shown that we are having an impact way beyond the management and repair of council housing. By actively improving quality of life for tenants with our extensive community initiatives, and by building sustainable communities with a bright future, we are creating neighbourhoods where our tenants want to live and work.

Dale and Valley Homes

Dale & Valley Homes has had a successful year, being recognised as a quality employer and starting work on two developments of modern and desirable homes. HR advisor, Hannah Ferguson, who is now studying for a degree, won a regional Apprentice of the Year award, sponsored by Star Radio, in recognition of her progress since joining the company. More recently we achieved an 'outstanding' assessment in a Best Companies appraisal, an achievement which led to us being the top north-east organisation in the Sunday Times Top 100 Public Sector Companies to Work For list. The whole company is proud of this. Work is progressing well on our two new build projects - one for the elderly and one of family homes - and both will see people moving in this year. Everyone involved with Dale & Valley Homes is mourning the recent death of the company's founding chairman, Norman Button, who will be remembered with affection.

Berneslai Homes
We have improved our service to customers in many ways over the last year: We completed our Decent Homes Programme. Since 2004, we've invested 212 million on 13,424 whole house improvements and 4,300 elemental works. We've made savings of 3 million this year, to put into front-end services. We appointed Kier as our new repairs partner. We were accredited as One to Watch in the Best Companies survey. We welcomed new tenants to the first council homes to be built in Barnsley for 30 years. We received a High Commendation award in the Innovation and New Ventures category of the prestigious HCA Awards for our property management service. We worked with customers to develop a full set of local offers ahead of schedule. We're proud our Federation has taken a lead on scrutiny by setting up and managing the Berneslai Challenge Panels.

Carrick Housing
We have been working with tenants and Cornwall Council in their review of Cornwall's landlord service which sees Carrick Housing Ltd soon to be replaced with a larger ALMO. We are proud of our autumn 2010 all-tenant satisfaction survey results. Tenant satisfaction has increased, with 93 per cent satisfied with the overall service, which we believe is the highest for any landlord in the country. Despite completing the Decent Homes work three years ago, we feel the quality of the basic housing service has been one of the key factors in achieving this. We are also proud of some of our other achievements: In six months, 239,000 of reduced debt and extra benefits for tenants was identified through our financial inclusion project. We developed a local lettings plan which set out strict allocation criteria to help restore community confidence and stabilise one of our estates. Creating new homes has remained a major objective. This year we've built 11 affordable, high quality homes and have another 38 under construction. These add to the seven we built in 2009/10.

CityWest Homes
This has been a fantastic year for CityWest Homes. In the last 12 months, we made significant strides in providing a better and more efficient service to our residents and generated savings in excess of 1.1 million. We continue to work hard to increase resident satisfaction and have seen improvements in overall tenant ratings go up to an all time high of 79 per cent, while overall complaints have gone down by 45 per cent. This year we also began work to restructure housing management services across Westminster, to ensure further service improvement and optimum efficiencies. A centralised repairs service has also been launched, aimed at providing a more consistent service, better quality and improved value for money. In partnership with Westminster Council, we have delivered the first council houses in Westminster for a generation, to help regenerate communities and make a difference to local families. CityWest Homes - for the first time - was also listed in the prestigious Sunday Times Top 100 Companies To Work For list, at number 61.

Derby Homes
This year has been an important one for Derby Homes because we secured agreement with the council for a further ten-year contract, to run from 2012 to 2022. We have also: Committed to reduce the costs of our service by 1.2 million over four years and aim to have no compulsory redundancy. Took on the management of the council's direct works team and 150 staff. Carried out a review of services and structures and achieved 600,000 savings this year. Invested in new technology and a new website, with further improvements planned. Worked with the council to build 43 low-cost homes, ten for rent owned by Derby Homes. Agreed 22 local offers with tenants and set up a tenants' scrutiny panel. Hit all performance targets for arrears, voids and repairs. Achieved an overall satisfaction level of 86 per cent, which is four per cent higher than when we were delivering Decent Homes. Won a number of awards, including a group award from the Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group (SLCNG) for our ASB service.

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Eastbourne Homes
2010/11 has been another successful year for Eastbourne Homes. In the autumn, we were told we were not eligible for Decent Homes funding; however in February 2011 we were delighted to hear that our case had been reconsidered and we received 80 per cent of our bid, spread over the next two years. As such, we can complete the works to our non-traditionally constructed homes and our older people's accommodation. In addition to overall improvements in service delivery and performance we: Reviewed our governance arrangements and organisational structure to ensure we achieve resident-led self regulation, are efficient and able to respond to the future Worked with partners to develop an apprenticeship scheme Provided seven placements through the Future Jobs Fund initiative, with four young people going on to secure employment Received the Commitment 2 Equality (C2E) Gold Standard Award Delivered 44 free community workshops through our street learning project, thereby engaging with an additional 556 local people Worked with our partners to train 19 local bilingual people as interpreters We look forward to the challenges of 2011/12 positively.

East North East Homes Leeds (ENEHL)

Key achievements this year include: Awarded five major accreditations: Customer Service Excellence; Committed to Equality gold award; Tenant Participation Advisory Service Landlord; Considerate Contractors Scheme and the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme. Achieved 96 per cent 'decency'. Set up social enterprise partnership, the 'Garden Gang', providing work opportunities for people with disabilities. The project supervisor won the Employee of the Year award at the Ackrill Media Group Business Awards 2011. Attained high scoring in the sheltered housing service quality assessment standard, which evaluates support planning, safeguarding and fair access. Successful multi-agency partnering work, to create a city-wide ASB team with the police, local authority and other housing organisations. Worked closely with local young people to deliver the ENEHL Youth website, focussed on building community on the estates and being a good citizen. Looking to the future, we're keen to build on our partnerships and successes as a company with a passion for communities.

East Durham Homes

East Durham Homes is an ALMO of Durham County Council and we manage 8,435 properties in the East Durham area on its behalf. 2010/2011 has been a busy year and here are just a few of our key achievements: Delivered 16.7 million investment - we have made over 600 homes 'decent' and have completed our doors and window improvement programme in every home, which was one of our customers' top priorities. Investors in People - we achieved this accreditation in November 2010. Customer Service Excellence - we were awarded the Customer Service Excellence standard in October 2010 and are one of only a handful of housing organisations in the north-east to have achieved this. Equality and diversity - we have gained a number of accreditations, including Positive about Disabled People, Age Positive, Stonewall Diversity Champion and Mindful Employer and are working towards Investors in Diversity. Resident scrutiny - we started our customer inspection and improvement panel (CIIP), in November 2010 and it carried out its first scrutiny of a service area in March 2011. Customer involvement - we have continued developing involvement by setting up a Facebook page, holding a summer fayre, maintaining a service review panel for each service area, awarded community 'quick fix it' grants and we were a finalist in the NFA Awards for Best Use of Communication.

Enfield Homes
We have had a year of notable achievements, built around the completion, on time and on budget, of the biggest ever annual programme of investment in our stock. Kitchen and bathroom improvements were completed in over 3,000 homes, with a similar number receiving central heating, rewiring and insulation. Fire precaution work increased safety in over 6,000 homes. Customer satisfaction on the Decent Homes work was over 90 per cent. We were successful in obtaining an allocation of 58.6 million further Decent Homes funding to 2015, with 32 million over the next two years. We have significantly improved some key areas of performance, including customer complaints, voids management and income collection. Supporting our local communities has also been a major focus, for example through community garden projects, DIY training days and a wide variety of learning and development opportunities for residents.

East Kent Housing

In April 2011, East Kent Housing became the newest ALMO and the first to be set up to service more than one local authority managing around 18,000 homes for Canterbury, Dover, Shepway and Thanet councils. The focus over the last year has been on the set-up and transfer of responsibilities from the councils, developing innovative governance arrangements to distribute control amongst the four councils. Successes to date include: A highly successful tenant consultation programme with 69 per cent approving the ALMO Recruitment of a strong board with extensive ALMO experience Agreeing with staff and the board values to underpin our work and approach to customer service Establishing area boards to deliver local accountability and a vehicle for tenant scrutiny. Our main focus for the remaining part of this year will be the ongoing challenge of merging four different services, including harmonising the terms and conditions and pay of staff.

The Gateshead Housing Company

The Gateshead Housing Company manages more than 21,000 homes in the north-east of England. We aim to provide excellent and efficient services, working in partnership with residents and the wider local community to create homes and neighbourhoods that meet the aspirations of the people of Gateshead. At its last inspection, the Audit Commission said the services provided by us are 'excellent' and that we have 'excellent prospects for improvement', giving us the top three-star rating. This was because we have a strong commitment to customer care, we manage estates well and we are bringing thousands of homes up to and beyond the government's Decent Homes Standard. The company is also involved in a number of new build projects across the borough, including almost 150 new homes through its subsidiary, Keelman Homes. Regularly updated information about The Gateshead Housing Company can be found at, www.gatesheadhousing.co.uk, www.facebook.com/gatesheadhousingcompany or www.twitter.com/gatesheadhc

Vision of communities

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Gloucester City Homes

Delivering excellent services

Homes for Haringey

It has been another busy 12 months for Homes for Haringey and we continue to make good progress as our successful Audit Commission re-inspection shows. Our Decent Homes Programme, now three years old, has continued to deliver and we have now refurbished over 5,500 homes. Our allocation for the next two years, although heavily reduced, is the highest confirmed in London and reflects our successful track record to-date. Homes for Haringey's resident involvement efforts continue to be recognised as best practice across the sector. Our work with young people saw us pick up a national Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) award for the second year running. Our campaign for new resident board members encouraged over 300 applications and resulted in a 48 per cent election turnout. We have also successfully retained our Customer Service Excellence, Two Ticks and Investors in People accreditations. And we have been named as one of Britain's Top Employers for the second year running.

In 2010, Gloucester City Homes was recognised as a top performing ALMO with 'strong customer focus' and 'clear vision and ambition', with the award of a three-star excellent rating with excellent prospects for improvement, from the Audit Commission. Other highlights of our successful year include: Extension of our management agreement with Gloucester City Council for another five years. Reaccreditation for Customer Service Excellence, with 16 Compliance Plus awards. Achievement of five As for our supported housing service. Winning the Communicator of the Year award in the Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo Business Awards. Launch of Project Solace, a ground-breaking multi-agency team to tackle ASB across all tenures in the city. 86 per cent of our homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard. Consulting over 1,200 tenants on the We're Listening Roadshow. Tenant Mo Norman winning Most Outstanding Resident at the NFA Awards.

Hackney Homes
The past twelve months have been progressive for Hackney Homes as we continue to build on our successes. Residents gave us a big boost by voting for Hackney Homes to undertake all housing management services that were delivered externally. Some key achievements include: 1,500 homes made 'decent' through the Decent Homes Programme. One of the best income collection rates in London. Over 95 per cent of estates passed inspections for cleanliness. Disability Two Ticks and Investors in People accreditations. We are proud to have been recognised in no less than six awards for a range of initiatives, including resident engagement, commitment to supporting women in construction and helping vulnerable residents. We also recruited eight local young people into our workforce, giving them vital skills, as well as the opportunity for a long term career. The next year will see us continuing to working closely with Hackney Council to focus on priorities that are important to our residents.

Homes for Islington

Homes for Islington is a three-star ALMO set up in 2004. This year, we would have completed our Decent Homes Programme, improving over 25,000 homes, and are now looking to the future: We have new build projects in the pipeline, delivering over 100 new units following last year's first new council housing in the borough for over 25 years. We've entered into new contracts for repairs, maintenance, gas safety and capital works incorporating what our residents told us they wanted in them. We even got them to help us choose the contractors! We've built on successful partnerships in the community, including those with Islington Council and Arsenal Football Club, to tackle ASB and improve options for youngsters in the area. We've launched our new corporate social responsibility scheme, where staff give their time to work in local community-based projects. And with our partner, Islington Council, we've been using imaginative and innovative ways of improving the energy efficiency of our properties, including abseiling cavity wall fillers and building combined heating and power systems.

High Peak Community Housing

We have had an action-packed 12 months at High Peak! We have moved head office; held our biggest ever summer programme for young people; worked with tenants to establish the scrutiny group and our local offers; and implemented our new vehicle tracking and repairs appointment system to continue improving services for customers. Tenants celebrated their achievements in the 2010 community awards and garden competition. We are improving face-to-face communication through tenancy health checks and we removed over 700 tonnes of rubbish during clean-up events! Our new website is attracting more visitors than ever, along with our social networking features, and we are continuing to make investments to improve the properties we manage. Looking forward, we are concentrating on making additional efficiencies and continuing to provide a value for money service with tenants at the heart of everything we do. We are engaging with a wide range of partners to share resources where possible and deliver local essential services for our customers.

Homes for Northumberland

Homes for Northumberland has laid firm foundations for the future in its first two years, leading to record levels of customer satisfaction, high performance and proven value for money. It has been an outstanding 12 months at Homes for Northumberland and we have plenty to shout about. Some of our highlights include: Twenty-two new, green and family-friendly homes are being developed in Allendale. Each tenant now has a named housing officer responsible for their estate and offering regular face-to-face contact. A successful Breath of Fresh Air health event gave tenants the opportunity to learn how to live healthier lifestyles. An event focusing on how local people can get involved in governance was delivered, in conjunction with the Workers' Educational Association. Young tenants are taking part in a pilot scheme to achieve a John Muir award, helping them to learn about their local environment and gain life skills such as team working.

All about people

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Homes in Havering
This successful year for Homes in Havering has seen many highlights, in particular, in partnership with Havering Council. We secured 62 million of Decent Homes funding over four years - good news for our residents. The results can already be seen in the hundreds of new kitchens, bathrooms, central heating systems, doors, windows and roofs being installed. This was also the year when we conducted a comprehensive restructure, including the establishment of a new management team. Among other positive results, it is now easier for tenants to get closer to and become involved with us, through our new resident involvement scheme and a more user-friendly, accessible website. Consolidating our efforts to put into action our 'Pride in homes and communities' motto, we issued our renamed Community (formerly Neighbourhood) Wardens with body-worn cameras. Meanwhile, our use of mobile technology - with many staff, including estates and tenancy officers, using web-enabled tablets/laptops - took us into the finals of the 2010 UK Housing Awards.

Kensington and Chelsea TMO

It has been an important year for Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), with significant improvements made across the organisation. We had challenging targets to meet and highlights were: Cut the time our homes stay empty by seven days. Arranged payment plans with more than 300 leaseholders. Secured a contract for low cost heating (standard tariffs are estimated 50 per cent higher). Began a programme of work to install digital TV for all residents at a low cost. Moved offices and improved our customer reception areas. Achieved targets for reducing tenant arrears. Reduced costs by 18.9 per cent in the five years to March 2011. We door-knocked all 9,000 residents to capture their views in our survey, achieving a 20 per cent response rate. This produced valuable feedback about our services and has given us a clear direction for priorities ahead. Returns indicate that overall customer satisfaction increased to 75 per cent, up from 68 per cent.

Lewisham Homes
Following the Audit Commission inspection in June 2010, Lewisham Homes was rated a two-star ALMO with a 'good' housing management service and 'promising prospects for improvement'. In February 2011, we were given an allocation of 94.5 million to fund Decent Homes works over the next four years - 25.5 million has been confirmed for the next two years. We have been working hard to continue to improve our services, particularly our repairs service which has undergone a major change programme. This has led to a greater proportion of repairs now completed within target and on the first visit, and an increase in satisfaction with the service received. We have established a 'value for money' culture throughout the organisation and are proud to have made savings of 5.1 million to date. Residents are at the heart of our organisation. In 2009 we launched our residents' business plan which saw residents have their say on how a 500,000 budget was to be spent. Residents took true ownership of the process, helping to transform the way our housing services are delivered. The project was such a success that we recently launched our residents' business plan for 2011/12. In 2010, we recruited three apprentices, three graduates and six young people on the Future Jobs Fund scheme. Working with our partners, we have provided over 190 residents with one-to-one support to get back into work. We now have a number of quality standards including Investors in People, Customer Service Excellence and ISO 9000 for the repairs, caretaking, lifts and gas services. We are also pleased to announce that we won a CIPR Local Public Service award for our 'Home' resident magazine.

Nottingham City Homes

During 2010/11, Nottingham City Homes went from strength to strength. We continued to deliver excellent services, reducing our voids and rent arrears to record lows and building the first council homes in Nottingham for 25 years. Our drive to tackle worklessness moved forward and we now employ 110 apprentices. In February 2011, we secured the highest government funding outside London for Decent Homes improvements. This is testament to our innovative Secure, Warm, Modern programme, which achieved fantastic value for money, high customer satisfaction and strong tenant involvement. In fact tenants feel so passionately about the programme, they formed their own Nott Decent campaign to secure funding - they even took to the steps of 10 Downing Street with their petition! Yet another successful year culminated in the signing of a ten-year partnering agreement with Nottingham City Council in March 2011. This shows the council's confidence in our ability to deliver excellent services, and provide a stable future for customers.

Homes in Sedgemoor
Homes in Sedgemoor went live on 1 April 2007, with an indicative inspection carried out in this first year assessing us as a 'no-star' organisation with uncertain prospects. In late 2010 we received a positive inspection result, confirming that we are now providing a good service with excellent prospects for the future. This was a huge accomplishment for us confirming that we had overcome a number of weaknesses to transform our housing services in just three years. This also enabled us to secure 25 million of Decent Homes funding to carry out widespread improvements across the homes that we manage. We are now firmly focused on ensuring that we deliver a quality Decent Homes Programme and maintain our current level of improvement, to deliver high quality housing services to our residents.

Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing

KNH is a round one ALMO set up in 2002, and was awarded a three-star rating by the Audit Commission in 2005. Since completing Decent Homes in 2007, we've been focusing on the second part of our mission of Quality Homes and Services in Successful Communities. Key achievements for the past year include: Achieving our highest ever levels of customer satisfaction. Helping empower our elderly residents through an innovative range of activities aimed at improving their health and wellbeing. Smashing our rent collection targets, despite the recession, thanks to a successful early intervention and prevention approach. Working with partners on a range of initiatives including public health, crime prevention and fuel poverty. Our gas safety partnership was recognised with its third national award. Seeing the first tenants move into brand new homes built as part of the 16 million Fieldhead regeneration project. Expanding our household recycling scheme to help even more customers who are struggling to set up their homes.

Newark and Sherwood Homes

2010 was a 'golden year' for Newark and Sherwood Homes. June 2010 saw Newark and Sherwood Homes gain Investors in People Gold status and on the first year of applying secure our ROSPA Gold award. Here at Newark and Sherwood Homes, we are very proud in gaining the recognition that enables us to realise our vision of delivering excellent housing services to our tenants. Our key achievements for 2010 saw the completion of Decent Homes on time, on budget and with a tenant satisfaction level of 94.7 per cent and the completion of the first council homes being built in the district for 30 years. These new homes are providing efficient, low-cost energy, modern housing for our tenants. The following initiatives highlight some of the positive outcomes we have delivered: Attracted 150,000 of inward investment from the technology strategy board to retrofit a pair of 'no fines' properties on the Hawtonville Estate. Establishment of a tenant panel. Attracted approximately 230,000 of inward investment through British Gas via the Community Energy Saving Programme to deliver external render, heating and insulation upgrades. Tenant Service Authority Steering Group established to oversee the development of Local Service Standards with tenants. Publication of the first tenants' annual report in a calendar format. Retained IS0 9001 quality standard and successfully reaccredited with the Customer Services Excellence award,

Poole Housing Partnership

2010/11 was another year of achievement for Poole Housing Partnership, with the organisation continuing to deliver excellent core services and resident satisfaction with services at an all time high of over 90 per cent. Highlights of the year included: Decent Homes Standard achieved on schedule, in December 2010. Our income and financial inclusion strategies saw us deliver one of the lowest rent arrears at year end, this despite the economic downturn. Also, additional income of over 630,000 was generated for residents through increased welfare benefit take up, reviewing energy and water tariffs and providing financial health checks. Through efficiency savings and value for money initiatives, including a staff suggestion scheme, over 450,000 was saved and transferred back to the capital fund for future investment. We were the only ALMO to achieve three stars under the Best Companies accreditation and achieved 19th place in the Sunday Times Best Small Companies listing. We also maintained the Customer Service Excellence and Investors in People standards.

Satisfied Lambeth Living tenant enjoys the fruits of his labour

Hounslow Homes
Since its formation in 2002, Hounslow Homes has become a well established, high performing organisation with a pioneering and forward-thinking approach to social housing. Hounslow Homes become the first ALMO in the country to undergo a peer review. Commissioned by the London Borough of Hounslow, Local Government Improvement and Development carried out the review to help the council in its decision-making process about the future of our management agreement. The peer review team noted that we have not rested on the achievements of the last Audit Commission inspection in 2005. Overall we were described as an excellent housing organisation providing high quality, tenant centred and good value for money services. Some of our other successes have been: Increase tenant satisfaction again to above the national average, at 81 per cent. First ALMO in South West London to complete new builds. Further developed our already established range of environmentally friendly practices, including being the first ALMO to develop a carbon reduction programme with the Carbon Trust. We also began installing solar panels on our properties and won Technology Strategy Board (TSB) funding for the retrofit house project.

Lambeth Living
Lambeth Living is London's largest ALMO, with over 34,000 homes. Having recently restructured, we now have customer-focused teams in place to respond to residents' needs and to manage the new long-term service contracts that came into force this year. Our Pay Your Rent Before it's Spent campaign resulted in record collection levels - a rise of over 40 per cent - record arrears reductions, fewer evictions and increased attendance at debt advice surgeries. At the end of the financial year, 700 empty properties were brought back into use and this as well as health and safety remain priorities for the organisation.

Northwards Housing
It's been another exciting 12 months for Northwards, packed with landmark achievements. Last July, we were delighted to receive an Ashden Award - from Sir David Attenborough, no less! - for going beyond government standards to ensure our homes are energy-efficient, with no charge to tenants. The Ashden Awards recognise pioneers in sustainable energy across the world. And in March this year, The Sunday Times Best Companies list named us as one of the Top 100 Public Sector Organisations to work for. We placed 78th and were awarded 'first class' status. We're also looking forward to managing the first new council homes in Manchester for 20 years - 32 high energy-efficiency bungalows that have just been completed - as well as our new Whitebeck Court extra care facility. A previously empty tower block, we've transformed the facility with a sky-lounge, ICT suite, landscaped gardens and more, as part of an 8.9 million refurbishment.

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Redbridge Homes
'Working in partnership with the community, to provide quality homes and services that meet residents' needs' has been our mission statement since we were established. This year, we have started to make that statement a reality with the beginning of our Decent Homes Programme. The funding we received this year has already seen the improvement to over 500 homes and the funding agreed for the next three years will see Decent Homes really make a difference to our residents. We have worked closely with tenants this year to agree our local offers. With their assistance, we will continue to scrutinise both our performance and the quality of their estates. 2011 will be a challenging year, but, with our new chair and the backing and support of our board, residents and staff, we are committed to improving services and our performance further.

Salix Homes
A trail-blazer for the government's Green Deal, winner of the UK Housing Outstanding Achievement in the UK award and confirmation of nearly 52 million to deliver Decent Homes improvements, 2010-11 has put Salix Homes at the forefront of major housing issues. Localism and resident-led self regulation Salix Homes has continued to attract national acclaim for its groundbreaking customer senate, receiving a trio of awards at the 2010 UK Housing Awards. Identified as a co-regulatory champion by the TSA to share our expertise with other housing organisations. The green agenda Selected by the government to pilot their Green Deal initiative to improve energy efficiency of homes across Salford. Completed an innovative retrofit scheme independently assessed as delivering 1.62 for every 1 spent in social return on investment. Efficiency Generated around 1 million in efficiency savings through re-procurement of major contracts and a culture of value for money throughout the organisation. Elsewhere, Salix Homes has been filmed by the LGA for its targeted approach to supporting vulnerable customers in the cold weather, identified as a 'one to watch' in The Times' 100 Top Employers and helped 19 local people into work.

Six Town Housing

Here at Six Town Housing we have just completed one of our most exciting and challenging years. We have continued to drive up performance and are pleased to be able to announce that our repairs and rent collection performance are at their highest ever levels. We have fully reviewed our governance arrangements and appointed a new board, overseen by an independently appointed chair. We are just completing a whole organisation restructure and we have just moved to new office premises. All of our stock meets the Decent Homes Standard and we have been carrying out some groundbreaking work on the energy efficiency front, with one particularly successful pilot seeing tenants' heating bills reduce by an average of 200 per annum. We have obtained a 2.9 million grant from the Homes and Communities Agency, the largest single grant allocation across the Greater Manchester region, and our first development started on site in February. We are leading on one of the government's Total Place Pilots and as part of this trailblazing project we are piloting co-location and daily tasking initiatives with the police. This work will see transformations taking place in the way public sector agencies work together to improve the lives of people in our neighbourhoods. .

South Lakes Housing

South Lakes Housing (SLH) has a new vision to be 'Lakeland's local landlord - respected by our customers, responsive to their needs and with a reputation for getting things done'. Achieving Decent Homes in 2009 was just the start - with a reputation for supporting vulnerable and older people, we now want to move on to building new affordable homes for our younger people. In 2011, SLH achieved overall tenant satisfaction ratings of 93 per cent and a report by HQN ranked SLH amongst the top three performers in the country on rent collection levels, repairs and empty property re-let times. Listening to tenants is the number one priority for SLH. Seventynine per cent of tenants are now satisfied that SLH takes their views into account compared to 60 per cent in 2008. Later this year, we intend to ballot tenants about a potential stock transfer to a new-style SLH.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

2010/11 saw the completion of our first new build developments, through our charitable subsidiary Brighter Horizons. The new tenants are now happily settled in their new homes, which were built to the highest standards of design and sustainability. Grant funding through the Homes and Communities Agency enabled us to undertake a massive 1.2 million project on our high-rise College Bank flats, ensuring every individual property had cavity wall insulation. To ensure value for money, we made good use of the scaffolding in place to brighten the whole skyline, by carrying out exterior painting at the same time. Tenants have already expressed delight at the savings on their fuel bills. New initiatives this year have seen the Green Team carrying out environmental improvements on our estates. This group is made up of the long-term unemployed, who have gained useful skills and experience through the scheme to help them secure local jobs.

Sandwell Homes
Sandwell Homes is the ALMO set up by Sandwell Council in 2004 and achieved three-star status in 2008. Forward-thinking and innovative, Sandwell Homes manages and maintains over 29,000 council and nearly 1,000 leasehold properties and delivers a full range of housing services. Among our main achievements for 2010/2011, we: Consulted with tenants to deliver three local offers or local standards for the Tenant Services Authority. Reached a spend of 321.3 million on the Decent Homes Programme with 'decency' levels at 91 per cent. Stated our commitment to work with Sandwell Council to complete the Decent Homes Programme as soon as possible, despite a 26 million shortfall from government. Achieved 19.3 million in efficiency savings since 2004. Delivered home maintenance DIY skills courses to 13 young tenants and 14 Home 2 Work placements. Provided 37 apprenticeships and 76 work experience placements. Consulted with 1,100 tenants as part of a governance review resulting in the creation of a new tenant/leasehold scrutiny board to work with a reduced in size company board in mid-2011. Won Regional Social Landlord of the Year (Housing Excellence Awards) and the Public Administration category of the European eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Awards for our commitment to environmental management. We were also ranked 21st in The Sunday Times' Best Green Companies league table.

Solihull Community Housing

This year has seen us unveil our first new builds. Apart from providing much-needed homes for rent, we are one of the first ALMOs to offer homes for shared ownership. It has been a year for awards: we reached the finals in two national competitions for the original ways we have involved young people. We also won the NFA's Most Innovative Project award for the second year running, for our fast-track system for assessing customers who need adaptations. Last April, we launched Solihull Independent Living, our not-for-profit home improvement agency, to help vulnerable homeowners and privatesector tenants who are older, disabled or on a low income improve or adapt their homes. In September, we finished a 1 million project to install solar panels on the roofs of 37 high-rise blocks. So far, using solar energy to light the communal areas of blocks has saved us more than 28,000. We have also targeted high-rise blocks for a series of extra fire-prevention measures.

South Tyneside Homes

It's been a year in which South Tyneside Homes has consolidated its reputation as an 'achieving' organisation. The ALMO, which manages the housing stock for South Tyneside Council, heard the good news from central government, following the comprehensive spending review, that it had been awarded 71 million over the next four years to continue its Decent Homes Programme. This is the sixth highest settlement in the country for a public sector housing body to continue the renovation of its stock. The company has also established a major housing services centre (Connect 2 South Tyneside Homes) with a single point of contact telephone number. South Tyneside Homes has also been assessed at 'achieving' level in the single housing equality framework inspection and had its income and leasehold teams awarded the Customer Service Excellence accreditation. In the last few weeks our equality and diversity training won a major prize at the north east Human Resources and Development Awards and our development team, which has done so much to promote our green agenda, won a top prize in the North East Business Awards. South Tyneside Homes chief executive Isobel Riley said: We are on a journey to excellence and the achievements of the last twelve months prove we are well on the right path. I look forward to more in the year to come.

Rykneld Homes
Rykneld Homes has had a successful fourth year - key achievements have been the awarding of 52 million Decent Homes backlog funding for the Decent Homes Estate Delivery Plan and improving the independent living service to Quality Assessment Framework level B. Rykneld Homes has built on the two-star 'good' inspection rating attained in February 2010 and is delivering the promising prospects by improving performance in all service areas. These include undertaking a district-wide consultation exercise in partnership with the Tenants' Federation to gain their priorities for the development of services and business planning. There are new local offers incorporated into tenants' service standards and the development of involvement opportunities to include independent tenant scrutiny of services. Plans are in place to deal with the changes to the regulatory framework and to meet new financial challenges through our partnership approach with other local agencies. Our work with North East Derbyshire District Council's national pilot in the most deprived wards will focus resources to tackle health inequalities and local unemployment.

Sheffield Homes
Sheffield Homes built on the success of our fantastic third inspection result of three stars with another winning year. Our Newton Croft sheltered scheme won a Silver EAC (Elderly Accommodation Council) Housing for Older People award and we maintained the government's Customer Service Excellence standard for the second year. We launched our Smart Move initiative to help tenants move to smaller properties and free up homes for growing families. Already, nearly 140 residents have signed up to move into smaller homes, 31 have downsized and 14 families have moved into larger accommodation. Our first annual report to tenants, which explained how we are performing and what we are doing to improve the service, was well received by customers. As part of the largest Decent Homes Programme in the country, nearly 6,000 homes were improved and over 86 per cent of our homes have now reached the Decent Homes Standard. Improvements to our website meant that traffic increased to over 900,000 hits in the year and we also launched a presence on Twitter and Facebook.

South Essex Homes

2011 clearly brings with it a number of challenges for the housing sector but we are confident that the close working relationship we enjoy with our residents will enable South Essex Homes to continue to deliver the front-line services they tell us they value. South Essex Homes has had a busy and successful past year. We achieved double success at the NFA Awards 2010, winning Best Use of Communication and ALMO Team Member of the Year. Our sheltered housing complex, Great Mead, won a National Housing for Older People award and in November we became the first social housing management organisation in the country to be assessed as operating at an 'excellent' standard for our equality practices. We were also successful in our bid to receive 10.4 million of Decent Homes funding over the next two years which will enable 90 per cent of our tenants' homes to reach the Decent Homes Standard. Despite the challenges ahead, we are entering 2011/12 with a clear focus on the opportunities we believe will be open to forward-thinking ALMOs. We plan to see it as a period during which we will consolidate our wider role in the community in our town.

St Georges Community Housing

St Georges Community Housing had an extremely busy year last year. We have made excellent progress with our Decent Homes repairs, securing 15 million of funding for the programme in 09/10 and 10/11, despite an overall funding reduction for Basildon. The works we have completed so far with this money have already made remarkable improvements to local communities and lives throughout Basildon. In February 2011, the Homes and Communities Agency awarded Basildon Borough Council a further 67 million to help achieve the Decent Homes Standard by 2015. Our successes to date are a result of a solid foundation of key partnerships with Basildon Council, local residents, our contractors and other service providers that all contribute towards helping us make our promises a reality. Other successes this year include a national accreditation for our Careline service, the appointment of a tenant to chair of the board and the recruitment of 25 mystery shoppers to help our continued focus on improving our services and put residents at the heart of our business. During times of such national financial austerity, St Georges Community Housing has continued to provide excellent services to customers - proven by the highest overall satisfaction levels to date - and achieved significant efficiency savings that have, no doubt, aided our achievements.

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[ Annual Review 10/11] | 31

Stevenage Homes
Investing in homes and people... We continue to be committed to improving homes and services. In 2010/11 we spent 16 million modernising 2,000 tenants' homes by implementing our local asset management standard, which exceeds the Decent Homes thresholds. We've made over 1 million in efficiency savings this year. This has been largely achieved by fulfilling part of our major works programme using our own direct labour operation. Upskilling our operatives, so that our own workforce can complete a wide range of jobs, is also making our work more sustainable. This year we were awarded the prestigious Investors in People silver standard, which demonstrates our belief that investing in our staff is crucial to providing outstanding services. As well as providing a wide range of training and development opportunities for employees, we've also been providing training for board members, tenants and stakeholders. Now they can contribute to our future - and their own.

Sutton Housing Partnership

Sutton is proud to be a vanguard borough for the Big Society. Over the last year Sutton Housing Partnership has been working with the council and local partners to ensure we can best deliver the practical benefits of community engagement and fulfil housing's role in the Big Society. This has increased our focus on residents having real and regular influence in decision making around the services we provide and this has seen us: Work closely with local area committees and residents' associations to secure funding for estate improvements, such as new play areas and tree planting, maximising our available resources. Work with the Sutton Life Centre - a multi media resource centre, which is supporting the delivery of community cohesion and youth engagement projects. Bring partners together to support residents in having a say over health inequalities in the borough and support a joined up approach to public health delivery. Support residents build on the success of their annual festival, which they organise in the true spirit of the Big Society. This attracts over 3,000 visitors with minimal public funding. Our work with tenants this year has ensured we are getting to know our customers even better and with the development of our resident-led scrutiny group this will further strengthen our accountability to them. The last year has been one of continuing excellence for us and we have delivered a range of service improvements ensuring continued progress in year-on-year performance. The service reviews undertaken last year have ensured we can offer a higher quality and more equitable service for customers. This has been reflected by a marked increase in levels of customer satisfaction from Sutton Housing Partnership's residents.

United Residents Housing

2010/11 was a significant year for United Residents Housing (URH). In the previous year, URH had to defer its Audit Commission inspection on two separate occasions due to operational issues. A new chief executive was appointed in January 2010. The main focus for the year 2010/11 was to prepare for the inspection that took place in November 2010. The outcome of the inspection was a success as URH was assessed by the Audit Commission to be a two-star organisation with promising prospects for improvement. Health & safety in blocks was a priority for us this year and we completed fire risk assessments to all blocks within our stock and completed outstanding works to ensure they complied with the relevant health & safety requirements. Additional achievements for the year included: Achieving a 68 per cent tenant satisfaction rating under a Lambeth-wide STATUS exercise Successfully negotiated 3 million grant funding from E.ON for works under URHs 2011/14 Decent Homes Programme Completed 99.9 per cent of all annual gas checks across all the partner TMOs Secured 29,000 grant from Capital Ambitions to assist in URHs resident profiling exercise and completed 95 per cent in four diversity strands, with 50 per cent being achieved in the other two diversity areas Undertook a series of initiatives with local partners covering health, housing benefit and antisocial behaviour Achieved an average rating of 85 per cent for satisfaction across services delivered for the year. The disappointment for the year was not being able to secure the promised 25 million Decent Homes funding on achieving two stars. We however received the promise of 7 million for Decent Homes over the period 2011/13.

Wigan and Leigh Housing

We are committed to putting customers at the heart of everything we do. Our tenants set our service standards and have a major say on rent increases and investment priorities. Our customer involvement has been strengthened with a tenants' committee, an independent tenant scrutiny panel and tenant assemblies regularly attracting over 50 tenants. Financial inclusion remains a high priority for us. We made significant progress in tackling fuel poverty. Tenants are saving on average 300 per year from our boiler replacement programme. We are also investigating a number of green energy initiatives including piloting photovoltaic cells. We built over 100 homes, with 52 of these homes being owned by Wigan and Leigh Housing. We continued to provide employment opportunities for young people through our Pathways to Employment scheme and work closely with partners on successful worklessness projects, enabling us to offer further training and employment opportunities.

St Leger Homes of Doncaster

St Leger Homes has received a string of accolades in the last 12 months - including three stars from the Audit Commission. We have been awarded Customer Service Excellence accreditation and are one of only a few organisations to receive a quality standard from the Housing Quality Network for our repairs and maintenance service. We received a commendation for our equality and diversity work at the Northern TPAS Awards, were voted Employer of the Year by apprentices at a local college and achieved accreditation with the Contractors' Health and Safety Assessment Scheme. Like many other ALMOs, we have a challenging year ahead. However, we remain committed to excellent customer service and involving our tenants in discussions around the decisions we make. We firmly believe in having our tenants at the heart of everything we do.

Tower Hamlets Homes

The past year at Tower Hamlets Homes has been a full and challenging one. The Audit Commission inspectors visited in November and in March we found out we had been awarded two stars, showing that our services have improved significantly since we were set up in 2008. We have also been awarded 94.5 million in Decent Homes backlog funding. Over the past year we carried out a pilot Decent Homes programme with approximately 350 flats benefitting from new kitchens and bathrooms, as well as external works. We have increased the participation residents have in our structures by setting up a high-level residents' group called the Residents' Panel, and introducing service improvement groups, where residents can meet with staff and contractors and influence the services we provide. To improve our service even more, we have appointed Mears as our new maintenance contractor, effective as of 1 April 2011. Residents were involved in a rigorous selection process. Like most public sector organisations, we have had to make cuts for 2011/12 and have saved 4.4 million from our budget by reducing the number of directorates from four to three and reducing senior staff, whilst protecting front-line services.

Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust

Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust launched on 1 April 2010. Our first year has been a busy and exciting one, with lots of successes to celebrate. Here is a snapshot of our achievements: Achieved Decent Homes in partnership with Welwyn Hatfield Council on time and without extra funding. Finalists in the New Business of the Year category of the Hertfordshire Business Awards. Raised over 4,500 for our chosen charity, the Isabel Hospice as selected by employees. Fitted over 400 solar panels to homes - at no cost to us or tenants helping to reduce their bills. Engaged with several hundred customers and residents at community and consultation events - led by our newly formed communities team. Started work with the council and other registered providers to develop a new borough-wide tenant scrutiny panel.

Wolverhampton Homes
The last year has been one of the most action-packed and successful in Wolverhampton Homes' history. In November, we were inspected and found to be a three-star organisation, with excellent prospects for improvement. This was an amazing achievement and a fantastic landmark on our journey. 2010 saw Wolverhampton Homes break new ground in tenant engagement and refurbishing eco-homes. Some of the highlights of the past year have been scooping two Housing Heroes awards, holding 16 successful tenant Get Togethers, hosting an ASB awareness week and winning a British Gas Footprint award for an eco-homes project which transformed one of the city's most deprived areas. The year also saw the organisation continue to go digital, as we launched our new website and developed our presence on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The next 12 months will see Wolverhampton Homes continue to go from strength to strength as we strive to be the landlord of choice in Wolverhampton.

Stockport Homes
Stockport Homes continues to build on the success it has achieved over the last six years. Highlights include: Achieving three stars and excellent prospects for the second time from the Audit Commission, including 14 areas of positive practice. Among the quotes were: One of the best housing providers in the country. Has some of the lowest costs for delivering responsive repairs nationally. One of the best performers nationally for rent collection and delivers a range of financial inclusion initiatives. Efficiency savings are extensive and are being invested in services that matter to tenants. Completing the Decent Homes Programme six months ahead of schedule. Recognised as a Sunday Times Top 100 Best Places to Work in the Public / Third Sector for the second year running, coming in at number 29 and increasing the Best Companies accreditation from 'one to watch' to two stars, which is in the 'outstanding' category. Being awarded HouseMark/Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group (SLCNG) accreditation for its anti-social behaviour service. Stockport Homes has an exciting year ahead, which will see, among other things, the first shared ownership properties built and the investment of 5 million for the fitting of solar photovoltaic panels on a number of properties to produce cheaper electricity for customers and us.

West North West Homes Leeds

It has been an exciting year for West North West Homes Leeds. We have retained our Customer Service Excellence standard and moved from a one-star to a twostar ALMO. We were finalists in two categories at the TPAS Northern Region Awards and went one step further at the NFA Awards, where we were joint winners of Best Community Initiative and winners of the People's Choice award for our innovative Armley Mosque Project. Although it is great to see our hard work paying off, we haven't let the success go to our heads! We continue to follow our core values of putting customers first and being innovative with new projects. Our On your bike scheme equipped our neighbourhood management officers with bikes, making them mobile and improving their visibility on estates. We have also taken the time to recognise and reward the hard work of our customers, holding our first Community Stars Awards in October. They were organised to say thank you to all the tenants, residents and community groups whose actions have made a real difference to their communities.

Your Homes Newcastle

We have had a busy and productive year, particularly in terms of our role in refurbishing and building homes. We have developed more new homes through our charitable subsidiary Leazes Homes, including a 10 million development in Blakelaw, providing 91 homes, 41 of which will be owned by Leazes Homes for shared ownership and rent. Your Homes Newcastle has also started to develop specialist accommodation for older people, residents with learning disabilities and young families. We have also nearly completed a multi-million pound redevelopment project at Riverside Dene which has completely modernised five high-rise blocks in a prominent part of the west end of Newcastle. We are excited about our ongoing work to bring the iconic Bolam Coyne development in Byker back into use for social housing, and are continuing to work towards the establishment of a new Community Trust in Byker which will put the local community in control of new investment in the estate.

Young residents enjoy community festival organised with the support of Sutton Housing Partnership