Housing Monthly Diary Archive

Registered Social Landlords

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January 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Bute HA uses information technology to tackle the problems of operating in a large rural area. Its latest management committee meeting was successfully held by video conferencing - linking committee members without the need for them to travel. The investment of £30,000 would be offset by substantial savings in future travel and accommodation expenses.

• Manchester Methodist HA invested in 25 hours per week extra policing, in a bid to cut crime in the Langworthy area of Salford, where the Association owns 300 homes.

• Newlon HT won leave to appeal to the House of Lords against a decision that could have widespread implications. The Trust was refused possession of a home occupied by a man whose wife had left him, following incidents of domestic violence. The wife and her two children were subsequently temporarily housed by Enfield LBC because of the possibility of continued domestic violence. The couple later divorced. When the Trust received notification from the wife that she was vacating the premises, it was accepted as a termination of the tenancy - she and her husband had been joint tenants. However, the husband refused to vacate and pursued a claim for a sole tenancy of the family home. The Court of Appeal ruled that the Trust did not have the right to take possession of the home - highlighting the anomalies between matrimonial law and housing law.

• Portsmouth HA teamed up with its French neighbour, social housing provider OPAC du Calvados, to produce a dictionary of French and English housing terms. Similar dictionaries in Swedish and German were planned.

• Waterloo HA announced a rent freeze for the third year running, bringing cheer to some 1,400 households.

• Windsor and District HA announced plans to form a new consortium - the Parkside Housing Group - with East Berkshire Care and Housing Consortium. The Association, which was one of two new housing associations formed to jointly receive the large scale voluntary transfer of 6,800 Windsor and Maidenhead DC homes in 1994, was to continue to operate independently.

• Workington and Carlisle Diocesan HA came into being, following the merger of Carlisle Diocesan HA and Workington HA. The new Association, with 76 homes, had plans to extend its portfolio - mainly in rural areas.

February 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Havant HA, a supported housing specialist association, took the unusual step of de-coupling from its parent association, Portsmouth HA. The move followed a reorganisation of housing management by Portsmouth HA.

• Leicester HA shareholders agreed in principle to merger discussions with Touchstone HA. Subject to tenant consultation, the merger would be able to proceed in October 1998.

• Plans for a merger were called off by Orbit HA and Riverside HA. Cost analysis results identified specific savings but these were not substantial enough to support the merger plans. Other factors, such as problems of merging offices and sharing contractors, influenced the decision. Both associations were understood to be still open to partnership proposals from other associations.

• South Shropshire HA launched a new foyer project in Ludlow, with plans to convert a disused mill that had been empty for around 10 years. The foyer was designed to incorporate training facilities, meeting rooms, a cafe and office space.

• Eight associations joined Suffolk Coastal DC in the launch of another common housing register. The associations signing up to the register were Hastoe, Housing 21, Orbit, Orwell, Sanctuary, Shaftesbury, St Matthew's Society and Suffolk Heritage.

March 1998
RSL Performance Indicators Published

The Housing Corporation published Registered Social Landlords in 1997: Performance Indicators, being its fourth set of Performance Indicators (PIs) for England's 370 largest registered social landlords (RSLs). The report covered RSL activity in the year ending 31 March 1997.

Following on from the Corporation's work last year and recent work undertaken by consultants Aldbourne Associates, which analysed the effectiveness of the annual P0I reports, a number of amendments were made to the publication, including:

• A larger and more comprehensive commentary with additional exhibits and graphs.

• Where possible, comparison of the performance of the RSL sector as a whole over time.

• A new chapter focusing specifically on the performance of the largest RSLs (those with 5,000-plus self-contained dwellings) in 1996 and 1997.

• Where appropriate, reference to the new Performance Standards and the regulatory guidance that the Corporation uses to assess RSL performances.

• Details of RSL group structures.

• The Corporation announced its intention to produce its first set of financial PI profiles, which would focus specifically on the financial performances of RSLs. These profiles would be distributed to RSLs in the near future. The Corporation also decided to produce Local Authority PI Profiles, which would look at RSL performance at a local authority level. These would be distributed to local authorities in the near future.

Analysis of the PI data showed that, generally speaking, RSLs achieved well overall but some individual performances were disappointing:

• Performance Standards stated that RSLs should collect at least 97% of rent recoverable. Overall, RSLs exceeded that Performance Standard (98.8%).

• Similarly, rent arrears at 4.7% were better than the Performance Standard, which required arrears to be no more than 5% of the rent receivable.

• The target for rent losses arising through void and bad debts (but excluding rent losses from voids not available for letting) was to be no more than 4% of the total rent receivable. For the year ending 31 March 1997, the overall achievement of RSLs was a rent loss figure of 2.9%.

• However, 11% of RSLs in the dataset failed to achieve the rent collection target; 35% failed to achieve a rent arrears figure below 5% and 20% had rent losses above 5%.

• On average, 1.49% of RSL stock was vacant and available to let. This compared well with the Performance Standard which states that, for general needs housing, no more than 2% of stock in management should be vacant and available for letting at any one time.

• However, 20% of RSLs in the dataset failed to meet the Corporation's Performance Standard.

• On average, RSLs took 3.9 weeks to relet their self-contained stock, which is within the Performance Standard (that requires them to take no more than 4 weeks' average time). However, 44 RSLs took over 6 weeks to relet vacant stock.

• Performance Standards state that at least 95% of emergency and 90% of urgent and routine repair works are to be completed within the RSLs' target response times.

• Actual achievements for the year were 94.9% of emergency and 91.5% of urgent repairs completed within target response times.

Further information about the report can be obtained from the Corporation's Press and Public Relations Unit (Sian Jones): Tel. 0171 393 2093.

March 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Basingstoke and Upper Test HA announced a name change to Kingfisher HA, effective from 6 April 1998. The address remains: Chailey Court, 25-27 Winchester Road, Basingstoke, Hants, RG21 8UE (Tel. 01256 302302).

• Dunedin HA was formed to manage 1,000 homes, following the merger of Scottish associations Fountainbridge, Findlay and Noredin.

• Princess Anne officially opened Grosvenor HA's Ravenhead foyer, which was established in partnership with 14 other organisations. The foyer accommodates 32 residents aged between 16 and 25 in a mix of single flats and bedsits, as well as including a suite for people with disabilities.

• Irwell Valley HA was given the go-ahead by the Housing Corporation to pilot its controversial plan to provide a gold service to its better tenants. Whilst all tenants will receive a service based on the Housing Corporation's Performance Standards, those who have had a clear rent account for six weeks and have not breached their tenancy agreement will be offered a gold service. This will include:

• a rent discount of £52 per year;

• faster repairs; and

• education and job opportunities.

The Association was also given permission to introduce introductory tenancies in some of its areas.

• London & Quadrant HT won a grant from the Housing Corporation worth £100,000, to pioneer a national project that would explore ways of involving tenants and residents in monitoring the standards of housing services.

• Rent increases of up to 24% angered Peabody Trust tenants. The Trust introduced a new points-based system for assessing rents, which could increase some rents by as much as £19 per week from 1 April 1998. Rent rises had been limited by the Rent Assessment Committee to between £5 and £7 for secure tenants but the Trust appealed for an extra £12. However, many of the Trust's tenants were not having their rents increased and consequently the Trust remained within the RPI-plus-1% guidance (on average).

• South Yorkshire HA considered offering tenants who gain employment and live in high rent dwellings the opportunity to move to lower rent homes. The scheme aimed to assist those who might be caught in a poverty trap as a result of finding work and it illustrated the wide spectrum of rents of the Association's properties, which sees some 4-bedroom dwellings at a rent of £90 per week and others of the same size at almost half that amount.

• Spitalfields HA was still without a Governing Body after a second meeting to elect members broke up in confusion. The Association was being run by four Housing Corporation appointees as an interim measure, with consultant Rodney Dykes having taken over as Secretary after the mass resignation of the old Governing Board. Attempts to elect a Board of eleven from the twenty candidates submitted were abandoned after irregularities in proxy voting forms were discovered at the meeting. These were being investigated and it was hoped that a ballot would be possible in the near future.

April 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Midlands-based Focus Housing Group and Mercian HA were planning to bring their 15,000 dwellings under one group structure, through setting up a new registered social landlord (Heart of England Regeneration Trust [HEART]) to act as a parent company. Tenants would be encouraged to support the move and potential savings and possible refinancing arrangements should act as positive inducements.

• Focus HG was awarded £270,000 from the European Social Fund, towards costs over the next two years in developing its St Chad's Circus foyer in Birmingham.

• Hampshire Voluntary HS agreed a new £8.3 million loan facility with NatWest, which would support its planned 1,000-home development programme.

• Hyde HA's community development organisation, Hyde Plus, is to manage a newly launched furniture recycling scheme in Gravesend.

• Jephson HA Group decided to keep local offices for responding to its tenants' problems, despite an internal report which concluded that centralised telephone call centres could provide a more economic but still effective level of local service.

• Kensington HT signed a £7 million contract with Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS, to provide accommodation for hospital employees. The deal was under the Private Finance Initiative and it included a 99-year lease transfer of the hospital's residential accommodation.

• North British HA opened a timber frame factory in partnership with a timber construction company, to be run by a new venture - Greenframe Ltd. The factory premises are next door to Huddersfield Technical College and training places are available to students.

• Severn Vale HS agreed a £55 million loan facility with Halifax plc. The Association took over 3,000 homes from Tewkesbury DC.

• Special General Meetings of Suffolk Heritage HA and Great Eastern Housing Group agreed that a new Housing Group could be formed through a merger of the two Associations. Taking its name from Nelson, the new structure was called Flagship Housing Group. It has nearly 14,000 homes in ownership, including 1,200 sheltered units and 5 supported housing schemes. Great Eastern Housing Group includes Peddars Way HA, which acquired the housing stock of Breckland Council in 1993. Suffolk Heritage HA took over Suffolk Coastal DC homes in 1991.

• Tees Valley HA launched a new service, providing its tenants with the option of an audio version of their quarterly newsletter.

• Wyvern Rural HA, which is part of the Hastoe Group, announced rent cuts of up to £6 per week, which followed a rent freeze since 1995, when Hastoe took over management of its dwellings.

May 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Central and Cecil HT were presented with an Investor in People award at their staff conference.

• East Dorset was taking up to four unemployed young people under the Government's New Deal, and it was encouraging its contractors and development partners to follow suit. The Association has created openings for trainees in its personnel, administration and finance departments.

• The Eastern Shires Housing Group was launched, which is a consortium of associations - Eastern Shires, De Montfort, Leicester and Country, and Wolds.

• The Friendship Group launched a new furnished housing scheme in the East Sparkbrook area of Birmingham, which provides a package of furniture, cooker, fridge and floor coverings.

• Garden City Homes HA joined the Moat Housing Group and changed its name to Garden HA.

• A tenant of the Guinness Trust was attacked on Manchester's Monsall Estate by a mob and beaten to death. One speculation was that he was mistakenly believed to be a sex offender.

• The Boards of Leicester HA and Touchstone HA agreed to abandon plans of a merger, due to differences in management styles and culture. Both associations denied that the Housing Corporation's openly stated dislike of mega-mergers had any influence on their decision.

• London and Quadrant HT and Network HA abandoned their discussions on a possible merger, which were only at an early stage.

• Pavilion HA, which took over Rushmore Council's housing stock in a large-scale voluntary transfer arrangement, held discussions with Thames Valley HA on a possible group structure that would bring more than 10,000 homes under one umbrella. It was understood that both associations were consulting their tenants on the proposal and a final decision could not be expected before the autumn.

• Ridings HA opened its new scheme in Leeds for hearing-impaired people with support needs. The development is equipped with a range of special features, including alarms with vibrating pads and strobe lights. It is managed for the Association by the charity SIGN.

• Ryedale HA and Yorkshire Metropolitan HA balloted their members, most of whom are tenants, on the proposal of a group structure.

• Tenants who transferred from White Horse DC in 1994 to Vale HA benefited from a double- glazing programme which was completed some two years ahead of schedule.

June 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Choices HA registered with the Housing Corporation. The specialist association provides supported housing and care services in Stafford and North Staffordshire.

• English Churches HG was given an award by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, for making its national customer service centre in Leicester accessible to tenants with hearing difficulties.

• Network HA's sheltered housing scheme in Ware was named the best social housing development in the housing association (over 100 homes) category of the London Evening Standard New Homes Awards. Burgage Court is a warden-assisted development of 28 one- bedroom flats.

• Ryedale HA and Yorkshire Metropolitan HA were in discussion over the possible development of a group structure, which could see more than 8,500 homes come under one umbrella. Any partnership arrangement would depend on support at ballots from the associations' combined 800 members, most of whom were tenants.

• Tees Valley HA agreed to take over 32 flats and shops in Hartlepool from Cleveland Housing Aid Trust, in exchange for its former Stockton offices plus a cash settlement.

July 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Bournville Village Trust was awarded a Secure By Design award by West Midlands Police for its 20-home scheme in Bloomsbury, which was completed earlier this year.

• Earnview HA, which has a portfolio of 160 homes in the Strathern area of Perthshire, announced a transfer of engagements to the Dundee-based association, Hillcrest HA. Hillcrest has provided development, finance and management services to Earnview HA since 1990.

• After nearly four months of discussions, the Birmingham associations Focus HG and Mercian HA abandoned plans for a group structure. Mercian has over 2,500 homes in management and Focus has more than 12,000 units. Neither was understood to be currently negotiating with other associations on merger plans, although it was thought that Focus might be more likely to look for a partnership elsewhere.

• Research from Housing 21 HA suggested that local authorities needed to forge closer relationships between housing, health and social services providers, if older people were to get the care and support that they need. The research was based on an examination of the activities of two local authority areas in the South of England. The report particularly pointed to the need for a dedicated planning group that could focus on future services for older people.

• Newydd HA has reorganised its affairs. The Cadarn HG became the parent in a new group structure providing central services to partners. Newydd became a subsidiary, responsible for managing 2,000 homes in South Wales.

• North British HA introduced video-conferencing between its Preston headquarters and its divisional offices in London, Manchester and Wetherby. The development was part of a comprehensive project to overhaul the Association's information systems.

• A petition from local residents persuaded Railway HA to abandon a proposed scheme to build four flats on a disused play area in Boosbeck in East Cleveland.

• St Mungo's HA was chosen to take over the running of the 36-bed Pagnell Street hostel in New Cross, which was previously managed by Lewisham LBC.

• Flagship Housing Group came into being, following the merger of Suffolk Heritage HA and Great Eastern Housing Group. The decision to form a new group structure to enable the merger took place in April 1998 and the legalities and procedures had been completed to facilitate its launch.

• The Guinness Trust won an appeal in the High Court against East and West Midland Rent Assessment Committees, following their refusal to register variable service charges. The Assessment Committees did not contest the case and the Judge ordered that new assessment panels should reconsider the Guinness Trust's application for registration of the variable service charges.

August 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• The rights and wrongs of a £4,250 service charge bill levied against a leaseholder for the cost of window replacement was likely to be settled in Court. Broomleigh HA insisted on access into the leaseholder's home to carry out the window replacement works, which were part of a £10 million estate-wide improvement programme. The leaseholder claimed that the works were unnecessary and unwanted and refused to pay the service charge.

• Central and Cecil HT (CCHT) opened Scott Lodge in Brentford, which comprises seven self- contained flats for people who required support in maintaining independent living as a result of mental health problems. The building was originally used as sheltered accommodation, run by Brentford Philanthropic Society HA (BPSHA), but it became unsuitable for housing older people. BPSHA approached Central and Cecil and, in conjunction with Hounslow LBC, it was decided to develop it into supported housing for people with mental health problems. Central and Cecil works across nine London boroughs, providing residential and sheltered housing for older people, hostels and move on accommodation for homeless women, and general needs housing.

• Tenants of Friendship HA are able to get financial advice on a range of issues, including benefits, debt and grants, following the launch of a new initiative. A partnership, between the Association and Birmingham Money Advice and Grants, provides professional advisers operating through a series of surgeries.

• Leominster Marches HA, formed in 1994 to take over the housing stock of Leominster DC in Herefordshire, changed its name to Marches HA. The Association, which has in excess of 2,400 homes in management, is part of the Jephson Housing Group.

• Plume HA tenants in Maldon, Essex took part in a BRE project, aimed at testing the effectiveness of water efficiency devices. Twelve homes had devices installed and the monitoring process is to compare results with the other 22 homes on the development which had not had them fitted.

• United Welsh HA came to an agreement with Cardiff Mediation to provide a mediation service to resolve neighbour disputes. The Association anticipated referring up to 10 cases per year to the mediation charity, which is funded by Cardiff Council.

September 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Beechdale Community HA received the Les Kosminsky Award for its achievements in revitalising a former council estate in Walsall. The award, named in honour of a campaigner for tenants' rights who died last year, was established by his former landlord - Family HA.

• Dundee-based Cleghorn HA joined the Home Group, raising further concerns about the involvement of English social landlords in Scotland. Whilst some concerns appeared to be motivated by nationalistic stances, others emphasised the differences between the housing association movements north and south of the border. Some feared the effect of increased competition in maintaining Scotland's strong position on affordable rents. It was understood that the Home Group planned to register a new organisation - Home in Scotland - with Scottish Homes.

• Endeavour HA embarked on a £564,000 refurbishment programme to 11 former miners' cottages in Co Durham. The refurbishment works were part of an agreement which saw the homes transferred from Teesdale DC to the Association.

• English Churches HA announced plans to merge its Greater Manchester business unit with a supported housing provider - the Selcare Trust - which provides services to ex-offenders, care-leavers and homeless people.

• Grosvenor HA set up a repairs hotline for its 5,000 homes, which aimed to reduce the response times to repair requests. The Association recently centralised its maintenance division as part of a major restructuring exercise.

• Look Ahead HA opened its Deancross Street Project in Tower Hamlets, which is a joint venture with the Housing Corporation, East London and City Health Authority and Tower Hamlets LBC, to provide homes and care for 7 adults with learning difficulties.

• Kingfisher HA shareholders voted to convert to charitable status at a special general meeting, saving some £30 million in Corporation Tax.

• Octavia Hill HT launched its new breakfast club at Oxford Gardens primary school in London's North Kensington, providing pre-school breakfast to children attending the school. The club benefits the Trust’s tenants with children attending the school.

• Peabody Trust evicted 250 squatters from its Darwin Court on London's Old Kent Road. The estate was due for demolition to make way for a new centre for older people.

• Spelthorne HA introduced a new swipe-card system for its 4,000 tenants to pay rent with. The new cards are accepted by all post offices.

• Tees Valley HA made an entry into full commercial activity, with 26 luxury flats on offer to rent in Darlington at market rents starting at £425 per month. The properties were developed in partnership with a regional builder and it was intended to plough any surpluses on the lettings back into the Association's social housing work.

• Touchstone HA donated £1,000 towards the cost of sending technical advisers to assist the South African Housing Support Network, which aims to bring together the skills of housing experts from this country to help provide some of the 1.5 million homes needed in South Africa.

October 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Banbury Homes introduced a new scheme in conjunction with Thames Valley Police, whereby it offers its tenants panic alarms where there is a risk of domestic violence.

• Central and Cecil HT linked up with Community Housing and Therapy in a joint project to provide temporary accommodation for single homeless ex-servicemen. Under the scheme, the Association offers licences of 6 months on up to six flats from its housing stock in the Westminster area, to assist individuals with access to permanent housing, while staff from Community Housing and Therapy plan a training programme with each client to develop skills essential to their full re-integration into society.

• Elgar HA, the large-scale voluntary transfer association that took over homes from Malvern DC, launched a new umbrella organisation, Partnership Housing Services. The organisation is expanding into new areas, including homes for students in the Worcester area.

• The English Churches Housing Group launched its telephone-based customer service centre in Leicester.

• The Lancashire-based association, New Progress HA, adopted a new group structure. Progress Housing Group became the parent organisation, with New Progress HA and Progress Care HA as two subsidiaries. New Progress HA came into being in 1994 with the large-scale voluntary transfer of South Ribble BC's homes.

• The North Staffordshire Housing Consortium, which specialises in providing care and support for people with special needs, registered with the Housing Corporation under the name of Choices HA.

• A study by Touchstone HA showed that most of its tenants like the telephone-based services operated by the Association. The Association's Touchline service, which has a call-centre approach, offers a speedier service than previously, with the potential of getting quicker decisions to enquiries.

November 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Airways HS joined forces with Cheshire Foundation HA to launch a new specialist service, to offer professional and practical support to disabled people who have a housing problem.

• Charnwood Forest HA announced that it is to amalgamate with Friendship Housing and Care to form a new organisation with around 5,000 tenants, leaseholds and care clients in the Midlands.

• Eaves Brook HA helped with the establishment of a new alcohol rehabilitation centre in Preston. Bridge House was converted from a church to provide residential accommodation for 16 people.

• Harden HA and St John Kemble Hereford HA amalgamated to form the West Mercia Housing Group, with collective assets of £80 million and an annual turnover of £8 million.

• South Staffordshire HA opened a mobile office to provide local services to its tenants. The Association has 5,000 tenancies spread over a wide area.

• Spelthorn HA introduced a new handy person service, which brought improvements to callout times and halved costs of minor non-urgent repairs. The new service was introduced as a six-month pilot, after which it was to be assessed and possibly extended.

• Two Castles HA announced a halt to its development programme in the North-east, which it blamed on grant rates and low demand. Normally, the Association would bid for some 100 new homes in the region but it has switched all of its development resources to the North- west for at least the forthcoming year. The Association argued that it would have had to find nearly £700,000 subsidy to make planned North-east developments viable - some ten times the subsidy needed in the North-west.

December 1998
Registered Social Landlords - Update

• Bromford Housing Group agreed terms for a £50 million loan facility with the Halifax bank, which would support an expanded development programme for some 2,000 units. The loan would be split between the Group's two association members, with Bromford Carinthia HA receiving £35 million and the balance of £15 million going to Cheltenham & District HA. Included in the arrangements was the renegotiation of a previous £40 million loan agreed with the Halifax.

• Charter HA teamed up with the East Glamorgan NHS Trust, to provide accommodation under the Private Finance Initiative for 190 medical staff at the Royal Glamorgan hospital at Llantrisant. The £2.7 million scheme included crèche facilities and a retail unit.

• Pickering & Ferens HA finalised a £16 million funding facility with Nationwide Building Society and NatWest bank, which would allow it to purchase 600 homes from North British HA and Sanctuary HA. As well as purchasing the homes, which the Association managed on a leasehold arrangement, the new funding deal allows for a £4.6 million loan from Hull City Council to be settled.

• Group merger talks were called off by Thames Valley HA and Pavilion HA, following decisions by their respective Boards that any advantages to tenants were outweighed by the level of compromises needed to take the plans forward.

• West Mercia HG and Worcestershire HA agreed to start discussions about the possibility of forming a partnership.

January 1999
Around the RSLs

• Black Star HA agreed a management contract covering 12 homes in Birmingham, that have been developed by Sanctuary HA to meet the housing needs of Vietnamese families. It was possible that Black Star would acquire the homes at a future date.

• A £23,500 European Social Fund Grant is to support a new project, aimed at improving the skills and employment chances of more than 120 long-term unemployed Circle 33 HG tenants in Cambridgeshire. The Association is working on the project with a consortium led by Business Link Cambridge.

• The Home Group awarded a contract to Riverside HA to provide an out of hours emergency call service to 35,000 homes. The contract increased the number of dwellings covered by Riverside's emergency call service to over 56,000.

• Magna HA confirmed that it had lost more than £1 million on a response and repairs contract with South Oxfordshire DC. The Association has been placed under Housing Corporation supervision and the size of the loss is believed to have been a significant factor in deciding such a course of action. South Oxfordshire HA, which took over the Council's housing stock, has now terminated the contract - a year earlier than it was due to expire. Higher than expected start-up costs are blamed for the size of the loss and the early termination decisionhas frustrated achieving objectives in a revised business plan.

• Peddars Way HA was awarded a Charter Mark at a presentation event attended by Dr Jack Cunningham, Minister for the Cabinet Office. The Association is part of the Flagship Housing Group, which manages 14,000 homes across the Eastern Region.

• Riverside HA has negotiated loan arrangements with Barclays Bank, NatWest and the Halifax, totalling £100 million, which will be used to fund its development and maintenance programmes.

February 1999
Enhanced Role for RSLs

The Government issued a consultation paper on plans to extend the permissible powers of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), to allow them to play a full part in bringing new life to their communities.

RSLs will still focus the majority of their work on providing housing services to tenants, but will now be able to participate in wider social regeneration initiatives, such as New Deal for Communities.

Section 2 of the Housing Act 1996 specifies the bodies that are eligible for registration as non-charitable social landlords. For two categories of body (a society registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 and a company registered under the Companies Act 1985), the section sets out conditions that must be satisfied for registration. In addition to the core purposes, there are permissible additional purposes.

This draft Order proposes further permissible additional purposes or objects that such a body may have, namely:

• Carrying out certain activities, including the provision of land, amenities or services, for persons who are not residents of the body, where any such activity is also being carried out for the body's own residents.

• Where the body is managing certain accommodation, providing amenities or services for residents both of that accommodation and of other accommodation.

• Where persons are benefiting from activities already referred to in or specified under Section 2, carrying out regeneration activities for the benefit of those persons, or for the benefit both of those persons and others.

• The proposed Order would substantially increase the range of activities that certain RSLs may undertake. RSLs will need to consider carefully the appropriate sources of funding for activities outside conventional housing management and the extent to which these activities could cause risks. Activities that support an RSL's core business by helping to maintain sustainable communities may help lower costs and exposure to risk. However, certain types of diversification may increase the sector's risk exposure and this raises difficult regulatory issues. To address such concerns the Housing Corporation issued a discussion paper on how it might develop its regulatory framework.

February 1999
Around the RSLs

• A Scottish Homes' statutory enquiry found that the Board of Bridgeton and Dalmarnock HA was below standard and lacking in financial skills. A long drawn out process of transferring the Association's assets to another registered housing association may now be put in place.

• Following concerns about governance, the Housing Corporation placed Croydon YMCA HA under supervision and appointed directors to its Board. The move to impose 4 statutory directors responded to the Corporation's concerns about committee and management controls, financial management and viability.

The four appointed to the Board are Tina Barnard (New Era HA), Sue Bate (Moat HG), Jane Hunt (Wandle HG) and Darra Singh (Hexagon HA). The Association manages 280-plus bed spaces for vulnerable client groups.

• Moat Housing Group launched its own care and repair agency - Moat Care & Repair - which, from April 1999, offers a service to elderly and disabled home owners in helping them to improve their homes.

• North British HA outlined proposals for consultation, which see it move away from the traditional 100% needs-based allocation policy. Under the proposals, 25% of allocations will not be dependent on points-based assessment:

15% will be available to lettings assessed as community access, which will include such circumstances as people moving in to care for relatives, or young people returning to be near family.

 

A further 10% of homes will be made available for lettings under the general heading of economic reasons, which could include almost anybody who chose the Association as their landlord and wanted to live on a particular estate.

 

The objective was to provide for more balanced communities and to combat social exclusion. Consultation was expected to take several months and it was anticipated that changes could be phased in from July 1999.

• Swaythling Housing Society, based in Southampton, formed a new group structure - Oriel Housing Group. The new group has two subsidiaries - the new charitable status Portal HA, and Swaythling, which will have non-charitable status.

Swaythling HS surpluses which will be liable for Corporation Tax are being transferred to the new Portal HA, which could see savings of up to £1 million. Swaythling continues to be involved in wider regeneration activities, which charitable associations are not permitted to undertake.

• Ujima HA has moved its North West Area Office and Head Office to 388 High Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 6AR. Tel. 0181 733 0733.

March 1999
Around The RSLs

• Bradford and Northern HA completed the demolition of the 46-home Tower Green Estate in Middlesbrough. Built 10 years ago at a cost of £882,000, the homes were costing the Association some £1,000 per week in security. The estate had become unpopular, mainly because of a small, intimidating group of people, and allocation of the properties had become increasingly difficult. This is the latest example of falling demand for social housing in the North, following last month's decision by North British HA to seek permission to demolish 50 homes in Newcastle.

• Charing Cross HA and Cube HA opened the first Chinese sheltered housing scheme in Glasgow, which provides 12 flats for rent by Chinese residents and a further 12 flats for sale.

• Eastleigh HA came under a new group structure - Atlantic Housing Group - which also encompasses Fernhill Care and Wessex Property.

• Hightown Praetorian HA announced a rent freeze and possible future cuts in rent. The Association, which is based in Hemel Hempstead, is planning a development programme that will see 350 new homes built over the next 3 years.

• Joseph Rowntree HT opened its new residential development for elderly people - Hartrigg Oaks - which provides residents with all of their care needs, as well as housing.

• Leicester HA secured an £80,000 Housing Corporation Innovation and Good Practice Grant to research social exclusion. The project includes adopting Dutch approaches to allocating homes, involving using a free local newspaper to advertise available properties, together with a profile of the type of household considered suited to them. This aims to encourage prospective tenants to apply for homes that interest them and to avoid time-wasting.

• Following many months of refurbishment and alterations, Springboard HA reopened its Hillside Nursing Home. The Association took over the former residential home from Havering LBC in 1995 and, after consultation with residents and the Council, plans were made for improvements to provide 39 high quality nursing care beds.

• The Board of the Young Women's Christian Association of Great Britain, which is a registered housing association, decided to cease to be a direct provider of housing services. It now seeks to transfer its 3,000 bed spaces in 55 projects, scattered around the country, to other established landlords. The root of the problem was a void rate of 18%, which led to the YWCA facing a likely loss this year of £650,000.

April 1999
News in Brief

• Hanover HA claimed a social landlord first - with instant e-mail links between its estate managers and regional offices. The system operates through a private computer network and the Association hope to save some £65,000 per year on telephone line rental and call charges.

• Hexagon HA demolished a 96-flat tower block (one and two-bed) - in Conway Road, Greenwich - to make way for 29 modern lifetime houses and flats. The tower was dismantled floor by floor with the aid of mini concrete breakers.

• Manchester and District HG relaunched as Harvest Housing Group, with new group members - Frontis Homes, Outlook Homes and Solway HA (see transfer news below).

• A survey of Swansea HA tenants revealed widespread fears about security. Among other fears expressed, about 21% of respondents said they felt unsafe when walking outside. A crime prevention officer has been assigned by the Police to work with residents.

May 1999
News in Brief

• Gwalia Housing Society and Trothwy HA were reported to be planning a merger, which would create the largest supported housing provider in Wales.

• South London Family HA relaunched as Horizon Housing Group. The Group also includes Rother Homes, which took over the stock of Rother DC, and Crystal Palace HA - which develops and manages shared ownership housing.

• Longhurst HA was selected by charity East Northants Headway to convert 3 terraced houses provided by East Northamptonshire Council into supported accommodation for 6 residents.

• North Wiltshire HA announced that it was to change its name to Westlea HA from 1st July 1999. The Association's address and other contact details remain the same.

• Paddington Churches HA took over the management of 1,400 units of accommodation at University College London Hospital. An early priority for the Association was to address the poor state of repair of the accommodation.

• Vale HA aimed to be the first registered social landlord to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation for environmental management systems. Efficiency measures have addressed energy and water consumption, treatment of waste and gas and noise emissions.

June 1999
RSL News Update

• Bow Farm HA moved into new offices at 2 Walker Street, Bow Farm, Greenock PA16 7EJ.

• English Rural HA won the Best Housing in the Countryside award, sponsored by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Royal Bath and West of England Society and contractor Stansell - for a development of eight homes in Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset.

• The Housing Corporation announced two statutory appointments to the Board of Bristol Churches HA - Colin Shaw, Chief Executive of Devon and Cornwall HA, and John Mitchelson, Divisional Director of Bristol City Council. The appointments aimed to provide the Board with additional expertise to assist it in seeking a partnership arrangement with a larger, financially strong, RSL.

• Leicester HA unveiled a £4 million project to create a flagship training and resource centre for tenants and voluntary groups. The HighPoint Centre is a converted convent and the Association hoped that it would eventually also attract business from the private sector, as well as other housing providers and national charities. As part of the scheme, the Association had also taken on a 40-bed nursing home and had plans to set up a nursery on the site. The project provides space for community businesses sponsored by the Association.

Phase I of the work, which provide the day and residential training space, was scheduled to be completed in a year.

• Paddington Churches HA commenced preliminary talks on joining a group structure formed by Beacon HA. Beacon had registered a parent association with the Housing Corporation - under the interim name of Carat. Beacon HA was formed as part of the voluntary transfer of 4,200 homes from South Buckinghamshire Council in 1991. Paddington Churches HA has about 5,500 homes plus a management portfolio, which includes a recent partnership deal with Hackney Council to manage and maintain more than 5,000 homes in the Stamford Hill area of North London.

• Walbrook HA raised £18.5 million funding in deals with National Westminster Bank and the Paris-based Dexia Municipal, in an attempt to maintain the Association's rent rises at a minimal level and support additional development in the East Midlands and Staffordshire.

June 1999
New Reports

• The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) launched a report, which argues that the financial health of housing associations will ensure that their role as social landlords will increase. Currently capable of attracting £15 billion in private finance, they also receive £20 billion in Government grant - with this they house over 2 million people.

The report also argues that they are a flagship example of the use of private finance. Not only have they delivered good quality homes but they have consumed half the capital investment that would have been needed, had they been funded solely from the public purse. They command a special segment of the lending market.

 

The Institute commissioned the report - Housing Associations: A Viable Financial Future? - from consultants HACAS, who used financial modelling techniques to assess the future financial viability of the housing association sectors in England and Wales. It is priced at £15 and copies are available from the CIH - Tel: 01203 851700.

• A new report from the National Housing Federation argues for a greater role to be put forward for social housing when regional planning guidance is being drawn up. Further details of Registered Social Landlords and Development Plans is available from the NHF - Tel: 0171 843 2311.

July 1999
RSL News Update

• Bristol Churches HA announced its forthcoming merger with North British HA in October, offering a solution to its current financial problems. The move meant that plans to issue 30 redundancy notices could be abandoned and the Association can continue its work in the south-west under its own name.

• Charnwood Forest HA and Friendship Group merged to form a new registered social landlord - Friendship Charnwood Housing and Care. The new Association has around 5,000 homes and its plans should see it have a £25 million turnover within 5 years.

• Hart HA and Oakfern HA formed a group to share central costs. Both Associations retain their own identities but jointly they have increased buying power and are able to cut their overall borrowing costs from April 2000.

• Home Group unveiled its new commercial arm, which is limited by shareholders. The new company, which is not an industrial and provident society or registered with the Housing Corporation, develops schemes in its own right with the objective of selling them on. There were also plans for it to manage stock on behalf of investors.

The company also manages 85 properties in Tyneside for the insurance company, Norwich Union, and it was planned for the two to link on further projects in the future. The launch of the new commercial company responded to recent disclosures that the Housing Corporation was to redraft plans on regulating diversity.

• Lambeth and Southwark Housing Society and Bermondsey and Rotherhithe HA merged.

• Shepherds Bush HA agreed partnership arrangements with six repairs contractors, that provide for a panel, to include tenants, which will encourage collaboration on improving standards.

• Shettleston HA introduced an innovative way of heating 16 of its new houses in the East End of Glasgow. Warm water from a disused coalmine some 100 metres underneath the site is brought to the surface and passed through a geothermal unit. Extra warmth is added to the water by solar panels, before it is pumped around the houses.

• Uffculme HT in Devon merged with Westcountry HA and transferred to it its 64 homes for the elderly. Westcountry had been running Uffculme’s affairs and, after consultation with residents and others concerned, a merger was considered the more efficient option for providing future services.

• Wolds HA signed a £1.8 million funding arrangement with NatWest, facilitating its purchase of more than 100 homes from de Montfort Housing Society. The Association is a member of the Eastern Shire Housing Group and it manages about 550 homes in Lincolnshire.

July 1999
Appointees to Scottish Associations

Scottish Homes was seeking views on the merits of setting up a register of suitably qualified people as potential appointees to management committees of Scottish housing associations - in cases where performance of the association might require support or assistance. The proposal, which has the support of the Board of Scottish Homes, was designed to strengthen the running of such housing associations by enabling speedier and more direct involvement in management and financial issues.

The Agency is also consulting interested parties on whether new powers are necessary to appoint a special manager or troubleshooter, to oversee any changes considered necessary to improve an association's performance.

July 1999
Recent Publications

• Housing Associations - A Viable Financial Future?

This report addresses the question of whether the current broadly satisfactory state of affairs of housing associations can continue. It has been compiled by HACAS Consulting and it presents an examination of the financial future of the sector in England and Wales.

 

The report covers traditional and LSVT associations, associations in Wales, regional issues (eg low demand) and risks/threats to the sector. The main report (Volume 1: £15) contains the policy analysis and a summary of the modelling results.

 

Volume 2 (£15) contains detailed modelling results for English housing associations - both traditional and LSVTs. Volume 3 (£10) contains detailed results for Welsh housing associations.

 

The report is available from the Chartered Institute of Housing, who commissioned the work - Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP. Tel: 02476 851764.

August 1999
RSL News Update

• Bedfordshire Pilgrims HA was planning an appeal against a leasehold ruling, which could leave it with a loss of £23,000. Chilterns, Thames and Eastern Leasehold Valuation Tribunal ruled that the Association failed in its procedures during an external cladding scheme in flats occupied by tenants and leaseholders.

Five leaseholders had appealed against the Association's decision to charge them between £4,000 and £5,000 for the works, which were carried out despite initial objections from 14 leaseholders. The Tribunal had ruled that no real consideration was given to the objections of the leaseholders and that Bedfordshire Pilgrims had failed to consider alternative ways of undertaking the work to exclude their homes.

• Residents of Furnival Housing Co-operative selected Maidenhead & District HA to manage their 30 homes.

• Following years of difficulties, the Glasgow-based Gap HA was advised by Scottish Homes to seek a merger. The Association owns/manages around 2,600 homes. In 1997, a Scottish Homes' inspection concluded that Gap had failed to meet required financial and managerial standards. It was understood that talks were being held with local housing associations that had been drawn up from a shortlist by the Management Board of Gap HA, which included six appointees by Scottish Homes.

• Hexagon HA received an Investors in People Award. It was presented to the Association's Chief Executive, Darra Singh, by Housing Minister Nick Raynsford.

• The nation's second-largest RSL, Home Group, is using half of its current £23.7 million surplus on rent reductions/rent freezes, initiatives to tackle social exclusion and repair and improvement programmes to its 41,000 homes stock.

• Irwell Valley HA has piloted an innovative scheme that offers tenants £500 cash if they leave their homes in good condition. Under the scheme, the Association notionally places £500 in a bank account for each of its new tenants. On terminating their tenancies, they are allowed to keep the money if the premises are left in good condition and they have a record of keeping to the terms of their tenancy agreement.

• Two small Welsh housing associations - Llamau HS and the John Rowley Trust - merged to form a new housing charity with 46 bedspaces. The new organisation operates from offices in Cardiff and Barry and will be known as Llamau Limited. Its main objective is to provide services to young vulnerable people.

• Residents on one of Manchester and District HA's estates agreed a community declaration, which includes promises aimed at combating anti-social behaviour and promoting a stable community.

• Moat HS is piloting one of the traffic-free home zone areas announced by the DETR. In partnership with Swale BC, the Association secured Housing Corporation Innovation and Good Practice Grant money to enable residents to research and plan the home zone.

• North British HA launched a private rented homes scheme. The Association merged two dormant subsidiary companies to form Kingdomwide Ltd, which owns the rental properties, rather than managing them. Some £100 million in private investment for the entire scheme was being sought, including £10 million to buy around 200 properties that are being developed by North British HA.

• The Court of Appeal ruled that North British HA was within its rights to evict a tenant convicted of stalking, even though the offence fell outside the terms of the tenancy agreement. The tenant had appealed on the grounds that his tenancy agreement only referred to the 1988 Housing Act, which allows for possession action to be taken if a property has been used for illegal purposes. He therefore argued that he should not be evicted under the provisions of the 1996 Housing Act, which does provide for such action where an arrestable offence is committed in the locality of the home.

The Court of Appeal ruling stated that the parties to the tenancy must have intended it to be an assured tenancy within the provisions of the '88 Act, as amended from time to time.

• Following the success of a pilot scheme, South Staffordshire HA is extending its mobile housing office service, believed to be the first of its kind. The service is now available to all of the Association's rural tenants.

• Sovereign HA and Oriel HG announced that they were looking at proposals for a group structure, which could bring their 15,600 homes under one umbrella.

September 1999
RSL News Update

• Abbeyfield Whitehaven was placed under Housing Corporation supervision, following concerns about its financial viability and management. Geoff Melling, Deputy Chief Executive of Harvest HG, was appointed to the Association's governing Board.

• Associations Black Star, Hamac and Nehemiah were reported to be considering forming a group structure, which would make them one of the top ten black and ethnic minority social landlords. The ability to pool resources was believed to be the main motivating factor.

• London and Quadrant HT was working on the first phase of a £4.5 million project to develop 42 study bedrooms for Froebel College at London's Roehampton Institute. These will be completed in the autumn of 2000 and there is a programme with will see a further 115 developed in the following year.

• Manchester and District HA became the first housing association to serve an Anti-Social Behaviour Order on leaseholders. The action followed complaints that the couple's two teenage children had conducted a long-term campaign of vandalism, theft and other anti- social behaviour. The Association collected video and audio evidence from neighbours to help the prosecution case. The Order lasts for two years and breach of it could lead to eviction, a heavy fine and even imprisonment.

• A new website for refugees and asylum seekers was set up by Peabody Trust, which gives free advice on how to find work, training and child care.

• Tenants of United Welsh HA were encouraged to join credit unions set up by Caerphilly Council and the Welsh Co-operative Centre. The Association argued the benefit of retaining residents' savings in the local economy.

• Yorkshire Housing agreed to develop 40 homes and sell them back to Leeds Federated HA. This overcomes the problem of the freeze imposed by the Housing Corporation on Leeds Federated's £3.8 million development programme because of governance problems.

October 1999
RSL News Update

• Anchor Trust became the first housing association to be awarded energy efficiency accreditation by the Institute of Energy. The award recognises the Trust's initiatives in the management and use of energy, which has included improved insulation, installation of intelligent building temperature control and a pilot combined heat and power programme.

• Auditors blamed incorrectly applied accounting policies for the loss of at least £6.8 million from Bristol Churches HA. The accounting error led to the Association's surpluses being overstated, with major repair and overhead expenditure being capitalised and added to the cost of housing properties, rather than being regarded as an operating expense. The annual accounts for 1998/99 show the Association making a deficit of £4.8 million, which with further adjustments could rise to a revenue deficit of £5.9 million.

• Boston Mayflower attracted two new lenders for revised funding proposals for the acquisition of housing stock from Boston Council. Previous proposals failed to find lenders. The new proposals involved a reduced valuation of the stock and an undertaking from the Association to fund a community regeneration project - if and when finances become available.

• Broadacres HA, which received the housing stock of Hambleton Council, took over the special needs association, Hospitaller - which is based in Darlington.

• Flagship Housing Group secured the largest ever housing association refinancing by combining the collateral security value of its constituent associations - Suffolk Heritage HA and Peddars Way. The £292 million deal, which involves cross-guarantees of each other's obligations by constituent associations, will see a development programme involving some 2,000 new homes and rent increases pegged to inflation.

• Donald Urquhart, the Chief Executive appointed by Scottish Homes to Gap HA, wrote to all Scottish housing associations and invited them to put forward proposals for taking over the Association. Gap HA manages 2,500 homes but has been affected by financial mismanagement.

• A tenant consultation exercise carried out by Leicester HA established that residents give the highest priority to maintaining rent affordability and flexible methods of payment. The second most important issue for tenants proves to be property maintenance. The survey reveals that tenant involvement is afforded relatively low priority (8% support, compared with 21% for property maintenance).

• South London Family HA secured a £67 million funding arrangement with French bank Paribas. The Association aims to use the funding for working capital and stock development programmes.

• Touchstone HA introduced its Payline system, which allows it to contact tenants about rent arrears at an early stage and thus free up housing management time. The system, which is being piloted with about 1,000 tenants in Coventry and Warwickshire, was planned to be extended to all tenants in the Summer of 2000.

• Equipment used by pirate radio broadcasters was removed from the roofs of nine tower blocks in an exercise involving Waltham Forest HAT, local police and the Radio Communications Agency. The Trust has spent more than £100,000 in security works aimed at keeping pirate radio broadcasters off tower block roofs.

• Worcestershire HA (formed in 1974) joined West Mercia Housing Group (set up in October 1998). Under the arrangements, the former Chief Executive of Worcestershire HA, Peter Brown, became Deputy Chief Executive of West Mercia HG. The Association took over the management of all of the Housing Group's 2,000 homes in the county of Worcestershire.

Similar arrangements operate in other counties, with St John Kemble HA operating the Group's 1,000 homes in Herefordshire and Harden HA managing 1,500 dwellings for the group in the West Midlands.

November 1999
Around the Associations

• Twelve people needed rescuing from Bromford Group HA's 3-storey block of flats in Birmingham - Bromford Court - when fire bursts out as a result of a suspected gas explosion.

• The Housing Corporation lifted its development-freeze on Leeds Federated HA, which was imposed six months ago. The Association has a £2 million development programme to build 70 homes during the current year and plans to bid for funding next year.

• Plans for a partnership between Oriel Housing and Sovereign HA were abandoned, following mutual agreement that no short or medium-term benefits would be gained from the move.

• The Housing Corporation warned that it will not register the new transfer company Wyre Forest Community Housing until it is satisfied that the appointment of its Chief Executive was conducted properly. It is understood that the consultancy Rodney Dykes Housing Services was appointed to carry out an enquiry into the appointment process.

December 1999
RSL Audit Arrangements

The audit arrangements for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) need to be re-focussed to improve value for money and make the audit process more efficient and effective, according to a new report released by the Audit Commission.

The report is one of a series resulting from joint working between the Audit Commission and the Housing Corporation in the last five years. It assesses the external and internal audit arrangements for RSLs and considers the cost and effectiveness of those arrangements. The report finds:

• In relation to their turnovers, external audit is proportionately a lot more expensive for smaller than larger RSLs.

• Boards do not take a sufficiently proactive approach to the external audit of their RSLs.

• The role and objectives of internal audit are unclear.

The report makes a series of recommendations to help RSLs get the best from their auditing arrangements. It also raises a number of issues that the Housing Corporation should consider, when it revises the Code of Audit Practice for RSLs next year. Key issues include:

• The Corporation should consider dropping the requirement for formal three-year review of external audit.

• RSLs should clarify what they expect from their auditors, before appointing them.

• The Corporation should consider providing guidance on the add-on services to ensure auditors remain independent of their RSL clients.

• RSLs should annually assess the performance of their auditors.

• The Corporation should review the requirement that small RSLs remain subject to external and internal audit.

• RSLs should set clear expectations for internal audit and clarify what their objectives are.

A Balanced Account: The Audit Arrangements for Registered Social Landlords (£10) is available from Audit Commission Publications - Tel: 0800 502 030.

December 1999
RSLs Update

• Broomleigh HA, which manages 14,500 homes in the London Boroughs of Bromley and Croydon, gained a triple B-plus credit rating from rating agency Standard & Poor's.

• A new report came from Housing 21, which argues for the full involvement of tenants of sheltered housing in any plans to remodel their homes. The report acknowledges that many tenants of sheltered homes are elderly and frail but argues that their involvement should come to be seen as a normal process. Involving Older People in Upheaval and Change to their Housing Environment (£10) is available from Housing 21 - Tel: 01494 685200.

• Six medium-sized RSLs formed a benchmarking group to compare performance and exchange information (Beth Johnson, Clwyd Alyn, Equity, 'Johnnie' Johnson, Muir Group and Trident).

January 2000
RSLs Update

• Devon and Cornwall HA opened its foyer in Plymouth - which incorporates an IT suite, conference suite, cafe and creche - providing a range of training and opportunities initially for its 50 residents aged 18-25, and subsequently for the community.

• East Dorset HA officially opened its 53-flat extra care Kingsley House in Bournemouth, offering additional care for elderly people.

• Humanist HA - supported housing provider to some 1,000 homes - and St Pancras HA, which owns more than 3,500 homes, were reported to be considering a merger in July 2000 in a mutually beneficial operation, attributed to the demands of Best Value.

• Leicester HA signed a 6-year deal to provide a range of services, including management and maintenance, to the almost 700 members of Belgrave, Ross Walk, Cossington and Maynard Housing Co-operatives.

• Mid Bedfordshire HA became Aragon HA (from April 2000), indicating the area's association with Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

• Penwith HA, in partnership with local authorities, set up community action plans on estates in Penbeagle, St Ives and Gwavas in West Cornwall, to encourage home improvements, jobs and training.

• Peter Bedford HA, based in Highbury, London, was awarded £140,229 by the London region of the National Lottery Charities Board. The grant will be used to develop day care services, including a training and employment scheme for people with learning difficulties, mental illness or who are homeless.

• Tees Valley HA and Banks of the Wear HA, while remaining independent of each other, joined forces to form the Tees Valley Housing Group, in an effort to achieve greater economic performance.

February 2000
RSLs Update

• Black Star HA agreed with Focus HG a package which aims to resolve its current difficulties. Black Star, formed from the now defunct Harambee HA - which was hit by a financial crisis in the mid-1990s - will, as part of the agreement, hand temporary management of its 500 homes to Focus. It is anticipated that the properties will eventually be redistributed among other African-Caribbean housing associations in Birmingham, such as HAMAC, Nehemiah or United Churches.

• Hackney-based Clapton Community HT adhered to its rules and expelled a tenant Board member because her rent payments were in arrears, even though the arrears were probably due to delays in determining a Housing Benefit claim which she made in August 1999.

• Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd became only the second housing association in Wales to develop a Welsh language scheme. The Association manages more than 1,200 homes in some of the principality's Welsh-speaking heartlands and it will appoint a language officer to monitor its bilingual policy.

• English Churches Housing Group published its annual accounts, which show that it was forced to write off £1.1 million last year when a Private Finance Initiative deal went wrong, causing the Housing Corporation to place the Group under supervision. The final contractual cost of the scheme, to build nursing accommodation for Birmingham's Children's Hospital, is still subject to negotiation between the Group and the Hospital.

• Leeds and Yorkshire HA expelled a tenant Board member for arrears - but it first had to amend its rules in order to do so. The tenant claimed that the action was unconstitutional because the Association did not first clear the amendment with the Registrar of Friendly Societies, in line with its own rules.

• A merger was set to take place between Merseyside-based Liver HA and Grosvenor HA, which each manage around 5,000 homes and employ some 600 staff. The strength of the merged Association is expected to improve tenant service provision, career opportunity for employees and its ability to develop and manage forward-looking regeneration schemes.

• William Sutton Trust's plans to demolish part of the Abbey Hulton estate in Stoke-on-Trent were strongly opposed by tenants, who have pledged to fight the move and have enlisted the support of Mark Fisher - the former Labour front bench MP for Stoke-on Trent Central.

March 2000
RSLs Update

• Bradford and Northern HA agreed terms for a project to provide new mental health care facilities on behalf of Leeds Community and Mental Health Services Teaching NHS Trust. The deal is expected to be worth over £40m in capital costs and £4m a year in facilities management and running costs, with the contract expected to run over 25 years. Services are currently provided from a range of hospital locations across Leeds, but the present accommodation is cramped and inadequate. The new project will provide smaller, less institutionalised units for Leeds residents with mental health problems. Under the PFI arrangement, the Association and the Trust will share the risks involved with the venture. Bradford and Northern will design, build, finance and operate the units. It will also provide all the domestic, catering and building management services, with the Trust providing clinical services.

• A shortlist of five associations were being considered to take over Glasgow-based Gap HA’s 2,600 homes. The Association has been the subject of a series of investigations since 1997, concerning governance and financial issues. The associations shortlisted were Fife Special and Irvine (joint bid), Home in Scotland, Kirk Care, Link and West of Scotland.

• Hanover HA started work on the UK’s first extra care housing scheme with integrated health facilities. The Association’s £3 million development in Plymouth includes a doctor’s surgery, 38 flats for frail older people and an alarm control centre for Plymouth City Council.

• New twinning arrangements saw Irwell Valley HA's gold service contract for tenants launched by De Woonplaats HA in the Netherlands in its Pathmos area of Enschede. The service offers benefits to tenants who keep a clear rent account for six weeks and are not in breach of any tenancy agreements. These can include quicker repairs, shopping vouchers and discounts on contents insurance policies.

• London & Quadrant HA launched its first social audit report - Balancing Priorities. This goes beyond the traditional audit brief and includes examination of the Association's total activities. These include its performance with staff and residents, its relationship with local authorities and funders and how performance with one of these stakeholder groups affect the others. The audit measures performance over an 18 months period and it part of an Innovation and Good Practice study backed by the Housing Corporation.

• Peabody Trust announced plans to include the UK's largest application of solar panels in a single development. The 1,500 square metres of photovoltaic panels will be used in the Association's 300-home development in Kensal Green, West London.

• Sovereign HA refinanced loans totalling £57 million, which will generate savings of an estimated £5 million over the next five years. The arrangements involve replacing a number of fixed rate loans with a series of swaps that carry options which stand apart from the underlying debt.

April 2000
RSLs Update

• The merger between London-based Capital Housing and St Martin of Tours HA was announced, with arrangements to be in place by April 2001. Capital Housing works with young homeless people and St Martin of Tours HA provides services to people with mental illness.

• Croydon Churches HA announced that it is to take over 165 homes from Worcester Park HS as part of merger plans. Most of the homes are sheltered and the transfer is due to complete in June.

• The Housing Corporation announced that it has made the following statutory appointments to the governing body of Hallmark Community HA:

• Aman Dalvi (Chief Executive: Ujima HA).

• Tony Taylor (Chief Executive: Waterloo HA).

• The action responds to concerns about the Association's ongoing financial viability. Hallmark Community, which manages 550 homes in the Derby area, had been exploring possible partnership arrangements with other RSLs.

• Hartvale Housing Group and Oakfern Housing merged to form the Sentinel Group. The new structure will manage 6,500 homes.

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