Matt Murdock
Recent activity
Comments (165)
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Comment on: Southwark Council agrees to first self-financing TMO
In what way shifting debt? Every borough has it's housing debt to meet and if you allow the rental income from any one area to be confined to that area then they have to meet their proportion of the overall debt surely?
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Comment on: Airtight promise
‘Like London’s Houses of Parliament - you don’t want to insulate that one from the outside!’
No, there's enough hot air on the inside to keep that one heated! -
Comment on: Waiting game
About a decade or so ago I became a housing manager for an estate in South London which had just been taken over by a TMO. One of our first contacts was from a family who claimed to have been waiting for a transfer for 30 years. I was somewhat sceptical to say the least but got a great surprise when I looked into it further.
A family with 7 children in a 4 bed flat had indeed applied approximately 30 years before and, to my even greater surprise all 7 children were still residing at home! The oldest was now in his mid 40s and the youngest their early 30s. As many will appreciate a home big enough to meet their needs was not likely to be forthcoming anytime soon.
Given this it was difficult to see what we could do but we did manage to resolve it eventually when a 3 bed flat in the same block fell vacant and was offered as a joint tenancy to 3 of the children. We had to stretch the rules a little but it worked! -
Comment on: Southwark plans 1,000 council homes by 2020
All 1000 are for social rent. They will be owned and managed by the council (and TMOs) in the borough.
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Comment on: Southwark plans 1,000 council homes by 2020
Even better news is that the first new homes to be built will be handed to the Leathermarket JMB (a TMO) to manage.
New build council housing and resident control!
Discussions (1)
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Burnt Toast
I see the TSA will be with us until 2012 now (albeit with one-third less staff).
I think Schnapps is in danger of burning the toast.
More seriously, how effective a regulatory body
Posts (73)
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Posted in: London Housing Assocition not building Social Housing -WHY??
In short the powers are devolved by government to the Mayor and, in London, the GLA will take on the role previously undertaken by the Homes and Communities Agency.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/mayor/homesforlondon/how-can-the-mayor-really-help-what-the-new-housing-powers-mean-in-practice-7660899.html
In terms of the 'housing guy' you refer to this would be Richard Blakeway, a new Deputy Mayor (Boris hasn't got a good track record with these has he?) who was/is his advisor on housing.
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/not-so-slick-rick/6513930.article
In terms of who he is accountable to, this would be the London Assembley who we've just voted for in the recent GLA elections, and of course us in the elections every 4 years
Hope this helps -
Posted in: Successions and mutual exchange
Yes they will and, equally, you won't gain a further succession through the exchange
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Posted in: HRA reform
Very little change here. No plans for additional borrowing as we can't afford to repay more debt than we have (despite having the borrowing headroom).
My main concern going forward though is what will happen if (when) councils start making a success of the new freedoms and finding themselves with additional sums? Will we pay off debt faster, build or invest more or (more likely) will the government come creeping back with a future stealth tax to pay off other government debt or fund some new initiative unrelated to housing (top rate of 40% tax anyone?)
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Posted in: Transparency
I think Chris is right in that information without any idea of the context doesn't help very much.
Part of the problem is that in order to publish this level of detail costs money in itself at a time when budgets are already strecthed. Would tenants be happy to fund the additional cost of providing this degree of information? If they were what, as Chris points out, are the remedies (or lack of them) available to address the spending?