The Housing Corporation announced that it intends to make an order removing the Chief Executive and Finance Manager of ARHAG Housing Association, in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 24(2)(a) of Schedule 1 to the Housing Act 1996. The removals follow consideration by the Corporation's Board of the final report by the inquirers appointed to conduct a statutory inquiry into a number of aspects of the business of the association.
The Corporation's Board invited ARHAG Housing Association, its Chief Executive, its Finance Manager, and three individual ARHAG board members to make representations to it about the inquiry report and possible statutory actions as a result of the inquiry. The Board received written representations and heard oral representations at its meeting on 8 August 2006.
The Corporation's Board decided that there had been misconduct in the affairs of the association, and that ARHAG's Chief Executive, Mr Ronnie Moodley, its Finance Manager, Mr Richard Odur, and two ARHAG board members, Mr Balraj Purewal and Mr Haroon Jogee, had been responsible for that misconduct.
In addition to making the orders removing Mr Moodley and Mr Odur, the Board confirmed that it would have made orders removing Mr Purewal and Mr Jogee from ARHAG's board but for the fact that they had resigned prior to 8 August 2006.
The Board decided that the third ARHAG board member, Ms Emma Bibal, should not be held responsible for misconduct in the affairs of the Association.
The Corporation's Board noted that there were a number of concerns around governance, management and control, which needed to be resolved within ARHAG. It acknowledged the work that had been commenced by the recently appointed Chair, the three statutory appointees to the board and the Interim Chief Executive to address these concerns.
The Board advised ARHAG that it would be monitoring progress on its action plan closely over the next 12 months.
The Housing Corporation published new statistics, showing the 'top ten organisations by homes owned' and the 'top ten associations by homes owned and managed':
The Housing Corporation issued an update on how Community Housing Group and London Fire Brigade are working together through an innovative pan-London project, which will protect residents from fire in their homes.
With the support of the Housing Corporation, the partnership between Community Housing Group (CHG) and the London Fire Brigade was launched in May 2006. Since then the Housing Corporation, London Fire Brigade and National Housing Federation have written a joint letter to all housing associations in London, promoting the benefits of working together to protect residents by tackling the issue of fire safety in the home.
A dedicated team at Community Housing Group has been trained by the London Fire Brigade to carry out free home fire safety checks in the homes of residents. The team will identify potential fire risks during a short visit and offer advice on preventing fires and what to do if one breaks out. Smoke alarms will be fitted for free if needed.
Some of the most vulnerable residents in London will benefit from having the very best fire protection in their homes from the project.
Community Housing Group expects to target around 1,750 households this year. More than 2,500 smoke alarms will be provided by London Fire Brigade, with the scope to extend the partnership into future years.
Specialist alarm systems for the hard of hearing and the visually impaired will be provided as required. Provision will also be made for interpretation services to be made available if necessary during visits as part of the partnership.
It emerged that Liverpool Housing Trust and Rodney Housing Association were discussing merger plans. Such a move would result in Rodney becoming a division of Liverpool HT, with 2,000 homes in management.
First Base will develop the new £18 million headquarters for East Thames Group. The building, in Stratford, will accommodate 750 staff.
A partnership between Metropolitan Housing Trust and Barratt Homes will provide a vehicle to regenerate West Hendon town centre. The scheme, which will span 10 to 15 years, includes about 1,300 new homes and 700 social housing units.
Three midlands associations were in merger discussions: Metropolitan Housing Trust (Midlands), Rushcliffe Homes and Walbrook Group. The move would see a new body with 11,000 homes, which would be a subsidiary of Metropolitan Housing Partnership.
Swan Housing Group struck a £400 million deal with 16 contractors to develop and refurbish 4,485 homes in London and the south east. The agreement requires the contractors to deliver a fixed rate of construction costs for projects valued between £750,000 and £20 million.
New Charter Housing Trust Group won a tender to provide key worker housing for staff at Tameside General Hospital. New Charter will develop 41 two-bedroom apartments and also buy and lease 16 existing homes in the area. A £58 million private finance initiative has been secured by the hospital to redevelop the site, which also includes new wards and teaching facilities.
Wirral Partnership Homes (Building Services) Ltd. recruited seven new local construction apprentices to train in various specialist trades within the organisation. The apprenticeships will take 3-4 years to complete and are a combination of work based training and relevant college courses. When the relevant apprenticeship frameworks have been completed, the apprentices will be classed as fully qualified in their respective trades, having achieved qualifications to NVQ level 2 and 3 standard.
Wirral Partnership Homes (Building Services) Ltd. currently employs 21 craft apprentices. Recruitment of new craft apprentices is carried out on an annual basis.