Section: Registered Social Landlords

RSL Update

Housing and regeneration group LHA-ASRA was re-awarded partnership status by the Housing Corporation, meaning it is eligible to bid for cash to build new homes in the East Midlands and South East.

The announcement came as the Government announced it will be investing £8 billion over the next three years in affordable and social housing - a 50% increase on current spending.

The group is one of 108 organisations across the country that have been selected to deliver the Housing Corporation's affordable housing programme, and is one of 70 to have partnership status renewed.

Preferred partnership status means the organisation can enter into a bidding round for homes to be built in 2008-11.

Last year the group captured £28 million of Social Housing Grant - £3.8 million more than the target of £24.2 million - and built 455 new homes. The group's target for the year was 232 homes. LHA completed 223 of the new homes in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, while ASRA completed 232 homes in and around Greater London and the South East.
Nationwide Commercial increased its funding to New Charter Housing Trust Group (NCHTG) by £70m to £170m, as part of a thirty year term facility. The new arrangement will in part allow for an extensive refurbishment programme across the Group's portfolio of low rise properties in the Greater Manchester area.

NCHTG is a group of companies established specifically for the purpose of accepting the transfer of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council's housing stock in March 2000. Nationwide arranged the finance for the transfer, which at the time was the first metropolitan housing transfer and the largest voluntary transfer in the UK, with almost 16,500 dwellings transferred.

Since transfer, some tenants have exercised their right to buy but NCHTG has planned a development programme to build more than 500 additional homes. They will also be providing new key worker accommodation in conjunction with Tameside General Hospital. The new facilities will support this activity while restructuring the financing of the scheme, reducing the existing syndicate of lenders from five to two.
English Churches Housing Group, which is now part of Riverside Group, paid compensation to its tenants after charging them for services they never received.

Nine tenants claimed that English Churches had not maintained communal lighting, pathways and rubbish bins, which they paid for through their service charges.

The complaint was first made in August 2006. Tenants kept up their claim for compensation during the period that Riverside Group acquired English Churches, which completed in October 2006.

Riverside Group has agreed to refund each tenant £595 for service charges paid over the last six years. It will not be making the charge in future and will carry out outstanding repairs and works.

Section: Registered Social Landlords

RSL Update

Housing Monthly Diary

Issue: September 2007 Reporting on August 2007

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