Housing Transfer Due For Completion

South Tyneside Council's housing services will be brought back under council control next week, in the biggest change to social housing in the Borough for almost two decades.

Tenants, leaseholders and staff will be welcomed into the council as part of the transfer of its housing stock.

South Tyneside Homes, the Arm's Length Management Organisation (ALMO) which has delivered housing services on behalf of the council since 2006, will legally cease to be a company.

The move follows an independent review and consultation process with tenants and leaseholders last year, in which 94.2 per cent of respondents supported proposals to return housing to direct council control.

Councillor Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety, said: "Tenants are at the heart of all this. They gave their overwhelming support for bringing services back in house and as a responsible landlord, we listened and acted on that.

"We are excited to welcome colleagues, with all their experience and expertise, into the council.

"Tenants should notice very little difference at this stage; the council has always been and will remain their landlord, they will continue to pay their rent, report repairs and bid on homes in the same way.

"They will see some changes with staff uniform and branding on our vehicles, and our Involved Tenants Panel have had a big input on this.

"We are confident that having a direct relationship will result in better communication and accountability, ensuring a transparent and responsive service which involves and empowers tenants.

"Housing is about so much more than bricks and mortar and we want to deliver a 'whole housing system' approach which focuses on early intervention and prevention and allows us to consider tenants' housing and social needs in an integrated way."

Services will formally transfer on Friday 1 November.

Tris Francis, who has been Chair of the Scrutiny Panel for eight years, said; "It is going to be a learning curve as we all get used to a different way of doing things.

"Our job is to get the voices of tenants heard, and I think having that direct relationship with the council will mean we can hold them more accountable and ensure tenants' views are represented and our recommendations are taken on board."

Earlier this year, the Regulator of Social Housing made significant changes regarding the homes and services tenants can expect from landlords. They are introducing four new consumer standards: The Safety and Quality Standard; The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard; The Neighbourhood and Community Standard and The Tenancy Standard. The Regulator will hold all social landlords to account with regular inspections and scrutinising data on tenant satisfaction and repairs.

The move will include a TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment Regulations) transfer of all former South Tyneside Homes staff, who will transition on 1 November.

Gary Kirsop, Director of Operations at South Tyneside Homes, said: "Homes and the Council have always had a close relationship and for the last six months we've been working to ensure the transition will be as seamless as possible.

"This is an exciting time for staff and we are confident the move will ensure the best outcomes for tenants."

South Tyneside Homes was originally established in 2006 to access the government's Decent Homes Fund that councils couldn't access directly. Since then, it brought thousands of properties up to Decent Homes standard and beyond, improving conditions and enhancing residents' quality of life.