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From the archive - musings about housing associations using ‘the internet’
Inside Housing looks back at what was happening in the sector this week 10, 20 and 30 years ago
30 years ago
Hackney Council was reeling after central government ordered it to close its in-house repairs service, because the direct labour organisation (DLO) was not making enough of a profit.
Six-hundred jobs were put at risk, as the DLO had a year to complete contracts. Work to ‘rehabilitate’ 750 council homes in the London borough had been put in jeopardy by the move, which meant the DLO could accept no new major contracts. Hackney was also going to have to make cuts of £8.5m to cover the cost of closing it down.
Environment secretary Nicholas Ridley had made the order, saying the DLO hadn’t made at least a 5% profit. However, the council said the DLO had made a profit of £500,000 in the previous two years, and was planning to challenge the order in the High Court.
Photo: Fin Fahey
20 years ago
Inside Housing was musing on how social landlords should approach the next big thing: the internet, an invention that we said was as well known as Windows 98 and Pop-Tarts.
“Information is usually presented in a website, consisting of web pages,” we reported.
Inside Housing also had some suggestions for how social landlords could make the most of this new phenomenon – it was important to assign someone in the office to answer incoming emails. “If it is not checked regularly, you might as well use the phone or fax.”
Tenants should also be told that their landlord had an email address. “Ask them what they think of it,” landlords were advised.
It was also important to find out which of your contractors had internet access, and discuss how email could save time and money.
Writing in a time before social media or trolls had been invented, the story concluded that the internet could be the next information revolution after the invention. But this time “the presses are in the hands of the people rather than the barons”.
10 years ago
Labour prime minister Gordon Brown gave housing associations £200m to buy homes that developers were struggling to sell, as the credit crunch really started to bite.
The National Housing Federation estimated the money would allow associations to buy about 1,000 homes off struggling private developers.
The programme was modelled on a policy from the 1980s by Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont during the previous housing market crash.
The Labour government also opened up a scheme to help any household on less than £60,000 to buy a home, and to increase scrutiny of councils and arm’s-length management organisations.