Council looks to bring social housing in-house

A decision is set to be taken about whether to bring social housing in Northampton back in-house.

West Northamptonshire Council's cabinet meet on Tuesday to consider three options for the future management of homes in the town with councillors recommended to bring them back under direct control.

The Reform UK council's 11,500 homes are currently managed by Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH).

Charlie Hastie, cabinet member for housing at West Northamptonshire Council, said: "This is a significant decision that would allow us to simplify governance, deliver better value for money and, most importantly, ensure our residents continue to receive a safe, responsive and accountable housing service."

NPH is an arms-length management organisation (ALMO), first established by the now defunct Northampton Borough Council in 2015.

It is responsible for repairs and maintenance, housing development and management including dealing with anti-social behaviour, tenancy support and the Ecton Lane Park traveller site.

Last year the then Conservative-controlled West Northamptonshire Council announced it was taking "immediate steps" to address the "performance failings" of NPH.

It also confirmed it had referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).

The review by the RSH found some council-managed homes failed to meet national safety and quality standards.

If approved, the council will begin a full consultation over the summer to hear directly from tenants and leaseholders

At the meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet will also be discussing three large affordable housing projects that were being delivered by NPH.

All the projects have faced "significant viability challenges" and the council has already taken on responsibility for the delivery of these schemes.

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