Association of Retained Council Housing

 

PRESS RELEASE COUNCIL TENANTS FROM ACROSS ENGLAND GATHER IN BIRMINGHAM
Tenants who have chosen to stick with their council as their landlords gathered in Birmingham as Birmingham City Council, the largest stock retained authority in England, hosts this year’s Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) tenants’ and residents’ conference. Download press release

PRESS RELEASE: ARCH WELCOMES FAIRER DEAL FOR COUNCIL HOUSING
ARCH is pleased that ministers seem to have listened to its calls for a fairer housing finance system. Read press release here

ARCH RESPONSE TO TSA CONSULTATION
ARCH has submitted its response to the TSA consultation on the new regulatory framework. Download here

NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE REPORT ON DECENT HOMES
ARCH members have contributed to a report by the NAO on the Decent Homes programme. Download here 

ARCH MEMBERS WIN SECOND ROUND OF HOUSE-BUILDING FUNDS
ARCH members are celebrating success in the second round of bids for funds to build new council homes. Read more

A NEW GENERATION OF COUNCIL HOUSING
ARCH member authorities feature in new research report 'A New Generation of Council Housing: An analysis of need, opportunity, vision and skills'. Download here

MINISTERS NEED TO GIVE GROUND
ARCH comments on HRA reform in Local Government Chronicle. Read more

ARCH RESPONSE TO HRA CONSULTATION
ARCH has submitted its formal response to the Government’s consultation on the reform of council housing finance. Download here

ARCH TEN POINT PLAN ON HRA
An outline of ARCH’s key messages on reform of housing finance. Download here

ARCH MEMBERS KEEN TO FORM A CONSENSUS ON HRA
Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) members gave clear signals that they wish to work with central government to reach an agreement that will enable the existing housing finance system to be dismantled when they came together for a consultation event on Housing Revenue Account (HRA). Read full press release here

SUMMING UP FOR HRA CONSULTATION PRESS RELEASE
Local authorities have been armed with figures from a debt calculation exercise to help determine their response to the Government’s consultation on the future of housing finance. Read full press release here

ARCH MEMBERS READY TO START BUILDING
The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) has welcomed announcements that work can get under way on 2,000 new council homes. ARCH member authorities featured among councils that were successful under the first round of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Local Authority Newbuild programme. Read full press release here.

A FAIRER FOOTING FOR COUNCIL HOUSING
ARCH secretary John Bibby outlines initial views on the HRA consultation in The MJ. Read more on MJ website

ARCH PRESS STATEMENT ON HRA CONSULTATION
ARCH has welcomed the Government’s consultation on reforming the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy system, launched yesterday by housing minister John Healey. Read full press release here

ARCH POSITION STATEMENT ON THE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
On Tuesday 30th June 2009, the Housing Minister, the Rt. Hon John Healey MP issued a written Ministerial Statement on the review of reform of the council housing finance system. Read ARCH's position statement here

ARCH WELCOMES BIGGER HOUSE-BUILDING ROLE FOR COUNCILS
The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) has welcomed signals that ministers appear to finally be listening to its calls for councils to have more opportunity to meet local housing needs. Read full press release here

COUNCILS READY TO EMBRACE LOCALISED HOUSING FINANCE, SAYS ARCH
ARCH has welcomed the Government’s commitment to replacing the defunct housing finance regime with a system that will give councils greater freedom to manage their own housing resources. Read full press release here

NEW HOUSING POWERS FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Announcements have been made providing resources to enable councils to build council houses, changes to allocations policies are planned and consultation on the future of the Housing Revenue Account. See the details in this briefing.

ARCH MEMBERS READY TO START BUILDING
The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) has welcomed announcements that work can get under way on 2,000 new council homes. ARCH member authorities featured among councils that were successful under the first round of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Local Authority Newbuild programme. Read full press release here.

COUNCILS' DEMANDS FOR HOUSING FINANCE OVERHAUL
ARCH has been part of the Local Government Association’s working party on housing finance alongside other organisations. In July 2008 ARCH supported the publication My Rent Went to Whitehall, which argued that reform of housing finance is essential to ensure that councils can deliver better services, better quality and additional housing for our residents.

ARCH has endorsed the LGA’s new publication Local Housing - Local Solutions: the case for self-determination, which contains proposals for reform of council housing finance, launched on 16th June at the CIH conference in Harrogate. This publication sets out a solution to allow councils to build 80,000- 90,000 new homes in the next five years and provide an investment of £35bn into the English economy.

Download Local Housing - Local Solutions: the case for self-determination

While supporting these ideas, ARCH has set out its own proposals for reform of the Housing Revenue Account system in specific detail in its submission to the Treasury and Communities and Local Government’s review.

Download ARCH submission to HRA review here

HCA PROPOSALS FOR COUNCIL NEW BUILD - LATEST BRIEFING
Read briefing here

COUNCIL TENANTS REVEAL TOP CONCERNS AT 2009 ARCH CONFERENCE
News report on ARCH annual tenants and residents conference on 24dash.com. Read more

POT OF GOLD
Brian Reilly, ARCH executive board member and deputy director of housing at the London Borough of Wandsworth comments on the review of the Housing Revenue Account in Inside Housing magazine. Read more

ARCH SUBMISSION TO THE HRA REVIEW

The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) is pleased to submit its comments on the Review of Council Housing Finance now that the review is nearing its completion and the ‘big picture’ options are emerging.

Read more here

ARCH RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION ON REVENE AND CAPITAL CHANGES

ARCH welcomes the opportunity to comment on the proposals set out in this consultation. This response has been developed with input from our membership and represents their collective views.

Read more here

ARCH RESPONDS TO DRAFT HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT SUBSIDY DETERMINATION 2009/10

Download consultation response here

REPORT ON ARCH HOUSE OF COMMONS EVENT ‘FINANCING COUNCIL NEWBUILD: FROM WORDS INTO ACTION’

Download full report here

Download workshop presentations here

COUNCILS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO MAKE HOUSE-BUILDING A REALITY

The appetite among local authorities to build new properties was apparent when more than sixty councillors and senior officers came together for a panel debate at the House of Commons on 26th March

Councils are enthusiastic about building new homes and have challenged Government to overcome barriers that are currently standing in their way. Read full press release here

ARCH TEANANTS’ AND RESIDENTS’ CONFERENCE 2009 PRESS RELEASE

Repairs topped the list of concerns among people who live in council properties during an interactive poll at the ARCH Tenants’ and Residents’ Conference 2009.

Read full press release here

ARCH RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION ON CAPITAL AND REVENUE RULES

ARCH will be responding to the CLG consultation on Changes to Revenue & Capital Rules for New Council Housing on behalf of its members.

Members have received a briefing on the consultation, which looks at proposed changes to the revenue and capital rules that apply to new council housing. The changes would exempt specified new properties from the redistributive effects of the HRA subsidy system and from pooling of capital receipts. See details of the proposals here.

COUNCILS CALL IN GOVERNMENT TO MAKE HOUSE-BUILDING A REALITY

The appetite among local authorities to build new properties was apparent when more than sixty councillors and senior officers came together for a panel debate at the House of Commons on 26th March

Councils are enthusiastic about building new homes and have challenged Government to overcome barriers that are currently standing in their way. Read full press release here

30/01/09 ARCH ON BBC POLITICS SHOW

ARCH's chair, Milan Radulovic put the association's views on council housing forward during an interview for the latest edition of BBC's Politics Show. His arguments are featured on the following BBC News weblink.

28/01/09 MINISTER'S PROPOSALS A WELCOME STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Housing minister Margaret Beckett’s proposed changes to revenue and capital rules for new council housing are a welcome step in the right direction, says Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH). Read more

Read ARCH's briefing 'Consultation on changes to revenue and capital rules for new council housing' here

REPORT ON HRA CONSULTATION EVENT

The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) ran a consultation event in London on 24th November to gather members’ views for its official response to the Treasury and Department for Communities and Local Government joint review of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Subsidy System, which will conclude in March. Read more

28/11/08 COUNCIL RESIDENTS HAVE THEIR SAY ON HOUSING FINANCE

Tenants who have voted for their council to be their landlord gave their views on the future of housing finance at a consultation event organised by the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH). Read more

28/11/08 FINDING A WAY FORWARD ON HOUSING FINANCE

Tenants, housing officers and councillors are banding together to find ways to transform the current finance system and provide a viable future for council housing. Read more

ARCH POSITION STATEMENT ON MINISTER'S ANNOUNCEMENT

ARCH has responded to the housing minister's announcement that social landlords will be able to purchase unsold new build private properties to use as affordable housing. Download ARCH's position statement here.

13/10/08 SURVEY OF ARCH MEMBERS

A research paper and briefing have been prepared based upon a survey of ARCH members. Read more

19/09/08 ARCH'S POSITION STATEMENT ON THE CREDIT CRUNCH. Read more

09/09/08 GOVERNMENT RESCUE PLAN MUST GIVE COUNCILS A REAL CHANCE TO MEET HOUSING NEEDS

The Government’s housing plans fail to make the role of local authorities clear – when they could be building new homes to help meet national housing needs. Read more

29/07/08 START FROM SCRATCH ON HOUSING FINANCE

ARCH is urging the Government’s review of housing finance to scrap the existing system and draw up a new, fairer one from scratch. Read more

ARCH’s position statement on HRA - download

24/07/08 ARCH RESEARCH INTO ECO-TOWNS

An ARCH research paper has been produced looking at the major issues emerging from the developing Eco-towns debate. Read more

01/07/08 ARCH NEWSLETTER

ARCH News is the first in a series of regular updates on the Association's activities. As you will see, we are asking members for their news and views for future editions. Read more

24/06/08 COUNCIL HOUSING AN ‘OBVIOUS’ SOLUTION

Ministers must not forget the part councils can play in providing homes to meet the national housing crisis. Read more

23/06/08 A LOUDER VOICE FOR COUNCIL TENANTS

Tenants who have voted for their council to be their landlord are being encouraged to get their views across to Government. Read more

ARCH COMMENTS ON HOUSING FINANCE

ARCH's secretary John Bibby has commented on the future of council housing in light of the Housing and Regeneration Bill and the HRA Review in the May issue of Public Servant magazine. Read more.

ARCH FEEDS MEMBERS VIEWS INTO HOUSING OVERHAUL

ARCH is representing its members on a number of influential groups that are overhauling housing policy and finance.

ARCH representatives are involved in a number of working groups set up to feed into the Housing Revenue Account and Housing Subsidy Review, implementation of the Housing and Regeneration Bill and other key housing management matters.

ARCH is keen to hear the views of members to feed into these groups. Contacts for ARCH representatives on each group are listed in the these tables.

REPORT FROM ARCH TENANTS' AND RESIDENTS' CONFERENCE Conference Pride Park Stadium, Derby, 19th March 2008 - DEMANDING A BETTER DEAL

Around 120 delegates met up on 19th March to share their views on the future of council housing at the second annual tenants' and residents' conference organised by the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH). Read more

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR TOPS COUNCIL RESIDENTS' CONCERNS

Anti-social behaviour was voted the biggest concern among council residents at the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) Annual Tenants' and Residents' Conference in Derby. The poll was conducted among 120 delegates who met at Pride Park Stadium last week to share their views on the future of council housing. Read more

"NO JOB: NO HOME IS A NO GO" SAY COUNCIL TENANTS

Council tenants hit back at Caroline Flint's suggestion that a council home should be dependent upon having a job, when they debated the minister's controversial proposals during the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) conference in Derby. Read more

TENANTS DEMAND FAIRER DEAL

Tenants and residents from around the country are getting together to celebrate best practice and fight for a better future for council housing. The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) is running its Second national tenants' and residents' conference at Pride Park Stadium in Derby on 19th March. Read more