Workshop 6: Co-operative Housing - Noel Chambers
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Transcript of Workshop 6: Co-operative Housing - Noel Chambers
Background
•ALMO founded in 2002 to manage Rochdale MBC’s Council Housing•50 neighbourhoods•600 employees•2 Stage Transfer:• Transfered Stock 13,650 in 2012.• Mutualised in 2013.
•Largest Mutual Landlord.•Uniquely owned by Tenants and Staff.
Our Big Idea
Co-ownership • tenants and employees as members
Co-production• shared priorities• working togetherChanged relationships and culture
Our Reference Points
• Community owned housing associations• Health, Social Care and Leisure mutuals• Social enterprise• Employee owned business • Traditional mutuals and retail co-
operatives• International experience
A new governance model
Members (tenants, employees)
Representative Body
Board of Directors(executive and non-executive)
Partnerorganisations
Making a difference
• Tenant and employee dynamic• Member voice and influence• Membership and Corporate Strategy• New values• Co-operative approaches
Growing and developing membership• That reflects tenants & employees• Opportunities to shape RBH• Engaged membership• 3,500 tenant members, 500 staff
members
New Kids on the Block
Other Mutuals/Future Mutuals
With a number of other Councils considering mutual under stock options
Context: Housing Policy
Welfare Reform- Housing Benefit/Bedroom Tax-Universal Credit
Rent Policy: - CPI vs RPI
New Provision- Reduced Grant Spend- Reduce Grant Per Unit- “Affordable Rent” (80% of Market)- Rent Conversions
Housing Market Package November 1992 to March 1993£612 million of ‘new’ moneyEquated to a 40% increase in development programme.20,000 homes acquired and £1bn+ invested
Help To BuyApril 2013 toNovember 201438,052 SalesEquity Loans
Changing Times:
Changing Government: Same Issues
• More “Freedoms & Flexibilities” to do it yourself
• More planning reforms & new towns
• Austerity continues:
No commitment to extra funding for social housing except Liberal Democrats (and which party is facing meltdown)
• Parties of the left to reform/scrap Bedroom Tax
Changing face of Social Housing
• “Sweating Assets”
• Increased Rents, Reducing Grants
• Diversification
• Non-grant development
• Private Renting
• Partnerships & Mergers
Challenges facing Mutuals/Co-ops
• Diverse numbers and types:Community gatewaysCommunity land trustsDevelopment trustsHousing co-opsSelf build schemesTenant management organisationsTransfer mutuals
Challenges facing Mutuals/Co-ops
• Hard to speak with one voice• Hard to act in concert
• Many Co-ops developed in the 70s/80s/90s sat on high levels of equity and strong revenue streams
• BUT Sector developing too few new homes
How can we unlock those strengths to providemore housing ?
Which plays into Political Attitudes
• Small sector, minority interest
• Not against us, but not a priority for hard cash support
• In terms of social housing High subsidy: money and effort, low output
• For some Politicians this means…..
Not part of solution ? Must be part of the problem
Moving forward:
• Growth of new mutuals will grow sector in numbers, New development and, hopefully, influence as balance shifts from management to management & development
• CCH working with sector and partners on new development solutions: Unlocking loan finance through “Warehousing” borrowing & assets.