|
Timetable for self-financing
The Government has published a timetable for transition to self-financing. By September 2011, councils making a payment need to identify indicative plans noting how much they intend to borrow and where it will come from.
Read the full paper here
PREPARING FOR SELF FINANCING
John Bibby's presentation from the CIH conference, 2 June 2011. Download presentation
REPORT ON ARCH TENANTS’ CONFERENCE 2011
Council tenants from across England spoke up for the value of council housing when they got together in Milton Keynesfor the ARCH Tenants’ Conference 2011. Read full conference report here
ARCH AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The winners of the ARCH
Awards 2011 announced at its annual Tenants’ Conference. Read press release here
TENANTS’ TALES OF COUNCIL HOUSING LAUNCHED AT ARCH TENANTS’ CONFERENCE
ARCH marked its annual Tenants’ Conference 2011 with the launch of a new publication featuring interviews with tenants about their experiences of council housing. Read press release
ARCH URGES COUNCIL TENANTS TO GET INVOLVED IN SHAPING THE FUTURE
Tenants were urged to get involved in shaping the future of council housing at the
ARCH Tenants’ Conference 2011. Read press release
ARCH NEWS WINTER 2011
Download here
NEW CHAIR FOR ARCH TENANTS’ GROUP
ARCH announce a new chair of its Tenants' Group for the year ahead. Read more
PRESS RELEASE: ARCH RESPONSE TO SELF-FINANCING HOUSING ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARCH welcomes the announcements on the future of housing finances made by housing minister. Read more
WE NEED A FAIR DEAL
ARCH comment piece on HRA reform in Inside Housing. Read more
LOCALISM, THE CSR AND HRA REFORM
Steve Partridge’s presentation from the ‘Localism, the CSR and HRA Reform: what do we know and what can we do?’ event on 26th November 2010 is available in the members area of the website. Download
ARCH RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT’S SPENDING REVIEW
ARCH press release on the Comprehensive Spending Review. Read more
ARCH'S SUBMISSION TO CONSULTATION ON THE REVIEW OF SOCIAL HOUSING REGULATION
Download here
DECENT HOMES BACKLOG FUNDING FOR COUNCIL LANDLORDS
ARCHs response to the ‘Decent Homes Backlog Funding for Council Landlords 2011-15’ paper from HCA is found in the members area. Download response
MODEL RESPONSES TO LOCAL DECISIONS: A FAIRER FUTURE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING CONSULTATION
This paper provides ARCH members with some model example answers to the
questions set out in the CLG consultation. Read more
COUNCILS TO LEAVE HRA EARLY AS SELF-FINANCING PILOT GETS GREEN LIGHT
24dash.com reports on two ARCH membersd preparing to leave the HRA subsidy system a year early. Read more
ARCH COUNCILS READY TO BE SELF-FINANCING PATHFINDERS
ARCH members Wandsworth and Cornwall are preparing to leave the national subsidy system a year early – as the first step towards self-financing pilots gets the go-ahead. Read more
GRANT SHAPPS RESPONDS TO ARCH HRA LETTER
Housing minister responds to ARCH's letter on recent HRA announcement. Read more
ARCH LETTER TO HOUSING MINISTER ON HRA ANNOUNCEMENT
ARCH Secretary John Bibby responds to Grant Schapps' commitment to reform the HRA subsidy system. Read more
ARCH WELCOMES MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO SCRAPPING UNFAIR FINANCE SYSTEM
Housing minister Grant
Schapps’ confirms that he intends to end the HRA. Read more
TENANTS AND RESIDENTS SPEAK UP FOR COUNCIL HOUSING AT THE ARCH ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2010
Council tenants and residents from across England spoke up for the value of council housing when they got together in Birmingham for the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) Tenants’ and Residents’ Annual Conference 2010.
More than 110 tenants who have chosen to stick with their council as their landlord met on 13th May for their fourth annual conference. Birmingham City Council, the largest stock retained authority in England, hosted the event.
For a full report on the event – plus photographs – go to the Tenant’s Area of this ARCH website. Read conference report here
ARCH RESPONSE TO HRA CONSULTATION
ARCH responds to the 'Reform of council housing finance' consultation prospectus. Read more
ARCH STATEMENT ON FUNDING FREEZE FOR COUNCIL NEW-BUILD PROJECTS
Members of the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) have
expressed disappointment that promised funding for new council homes has
been put on hold. Read more
UNDER ONE ROOF
John Bibby, secretary of ARCH and director of housing and community services at Lincoln City Council, outlines the findings of ARCH's research on 'the holistic benefits of retaine council housing'. Download here
KEEPING HOUSING IN-HOUSE DELIVERS WIDER BENEFITS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Councils that own and manage properties are delivering value to local communities in addition to their housing role, according to latest research. Read press release here
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
|
