On Tuesday I got the chance to ask one of the first newly-introduced Topical Questions during Communities and Local Government Questions about the funding for the Arms Length Housing Management Organisation in Enfield.
I asked Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper:
“The Government decent homes programme has now reached its final stages of bringing all local authority accommodation up to a reasonable standard. If the Arm's Length Management Organisation in my local authority is to be up and running by April next year, it needs an announcement on setting up and on funding by the end of this year. Can my right hon. Friend help?”
Yvette Cooper replied:
“My hon. Friend makes an important point about the decent homes programme, which has already helped literally millions of people into better homes, including lifting more than a million children out of cold, damp or poor housing. We are keen to get the final phase of ALMOs going, and we are working with individual ALMOs at the moment, as some are at different stages of readiness from others. We want to see the £2 billion that we are putting into ALMOs over the next few years well spent, but I certainly undertake to look at the issue for my hon. Friend as fast as possible”
The Enfield Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) was set up by the local authority to manage and improve its housing stock. It is due to be launched in April next year under the name of “Enfield Homes” and will give local residents lots more say and control in how their local housing is run.
The new Topical Questions were only introduced in the House of Commons two weeks ago, in an effort to make Parliamentary business as up to date as possible. They give MPs an opportunity to put questions to ministers without giving them any prior notice. Previously, questions to departmental ministers had to be tabled at least three days in advance, which meant issues that cropped up in the meantime would go undiscussed.
I am really pleased that the Minister has agreed to look urgently into this situation. I think that these new Topical Questions are a great idea and I wanted to make sure that I used them to get across the day-to-day concerns of my constituents. The ALMO will make a vital difference to so many of my constituents’ lives when it is launched, but for this to take place in April, we need an announcement about its funding urgently. Hopefully by drawing this to the Government’s attention it will mean that we see some action on this very soon.
I asked Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper:
“The Government decent homes programme has now reached its final stages of bringing all local authority accommodation up to a reasonable standard. If the Arm's Length Management Organisation in my local authority is to be up and running by April next year, it needs an announcement on setting up and on funding by the end of this year. Can my right hon. Friend help?”
Yvette Cooper replied:
“My hon. Friend makes an important point about the decent homes programme, which has already helped literally millions of people into better homes, including lifting more than a million children out of cold, damp or poor housing. We are keen to get the final phase of ALMOs going, and we are working with individual ALMOs at the moment, as some are at different stages of readiness from others. We want to see the £2 billion that we are putting into ALMOs over the next few years well spent, but I certainly undertake to look at the issue for my hon. Friend as fast as possible”
The Enfield Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) was set up by the local authority to manage and improve its housing stock. It is due to be launched in April next year under the name of “Enfield Homes” and will give local residents lots more say and control in how their local housing is run.
The new Topical Questions were only introduced in the House of Commons two weeks ago, in an effort to make Parliamentary business as up to date as possible. They give MPs an opportunity to put questions to ministers without giving them any prior notice. Previously, questions to departmental ministers had to be tabled at least three days in advance, which meant issues that cropped up in the meantime would go undiscussed.
I am really pleased that the Minister has agreed to look urgently into this situation. I think that these new Topical Questions are a great idea and I wanted to make sure that I used them to get across the day-to-day concerns of my constituents. The ALMO will make a vital difference to so many of my constituents’ lives when it is launched, but for this to take place in April, we need an announcement about its funding urgently. Hopefully by drawing this to the Government’s attention it will mean that we see some action on this very soon.
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