Judicial Review bid launched over government housing decision

 LGA media release 16 October 2009

A consortium of councils will later today be seeking a Judicial Review of a decision by the Government to withdraw promised funding for their Decent Homes programmes for 2009/10 and 2010/11 without providing any guarantee that funding will be reinstated in later years.

In July, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) wrote to eleven councils to inform them that funding they had been expecting to help improve local people’s houses would not be provided despite this money having been promised by DCLG and allocated by the councils concerned. Tenants had also been informed of the proposed improvements to their homes. 

The councils affected together with the LGA believe that withdrawing funding at short notice and with almost immediate effect significantly damages Arms Length Management Organisations’ and councils’ ability to plan and deliver vital services that affect tens of thousands of tenants across the country.

The councils who are involved in seeking the Judicial Review include Sutton, Sedgemoor, Redbridge and Havering.

Chairman of the Local Government Association Environment Board, Cllr Gary Porter said:-

“The decision to seek a Judicial Review over the decision to withhold funding has not been taken lightly but there are serious concerns that jobs will be lost in the fragile building sector and thousands of people will be left in below par housing.

“The decision to withdraw the funding that was allocated to these ALMOs will have a serious impact on tens of thousands of tenants who are some of the poorest in our communities, living in housing that is most in need of repair.

“Poor housing conditions seriously impact on people’s health, education, life chances and on social cohesion. Government has rightly attached much importance to delivering decent homes in recent years.

“The decent homes programmes would have created significant numbers of jobs in some of the most deprived areas of the country.  The news that long awaited funding to tackle poor living conditions will now be delayed will mean that tenants will wait years for much needed home improvement work that could make a real difference to their lives. 

“In the current economic climate, difficult decisions about funding priorities will need to be made.  However, withdrawing funding at short notice and with almost immediate effect significantly damages ALMOs’ and councils’ ability to plan and deliver vital services that their tenants deserve and had been promised.

“A number of ALMOs on course to achieve the required standard that had been promised funding this financial year have already drawn up programmes of work and tenants.  The announcement therefore amounts to real and immediate cuts to services for tenants.”

Cllr Colin Stears, Executive Member for Housing on Sutton Council, said:

“This decision was a disaster for social housing tenants in Sutton who should be receiving £112m of government funding to bring their homes up to decent standards

“It is a betrayal on the part of the government who promised us and other boroughs this money on the basis we are successful in an inspection this autumn

“The real victims are  council tenants, including many vulnerable and  older residents, whose homes we need to improve urgently – this withdrawal of funding will only widen the gap between the haves and have nots in our community at the worst possible time.

“Local trades people were also set to benefit from this work so it is also proving to be a hammer blow to the local economy.

“By working with the LGA and other boroughs we will do all we can to reverse this terrible decision.”

Cllr Paul Herbert, Sedgemoor Council portfolio holder for Housing, said:

“We take this step very reluctantly, however the impact of this decision on our most deprived communities is so significant we must try every avenue to retain funding for meeting minimum housing standards. Sedgemoorcreated an ALMO with widespread tenant support specifically because it could not afford to bring council homes up to the minimum standard required without the promised government funding. This legal route is now the only option available to us.”

Cllr Michael Armstrong, Havering Council Cabinet Member for Housing, said;

“This Government needs to honour its promise on Housing. Havering’s tenants have patiently waited after being told they would get much needed home improvements and will now miss out because the Government have backed down from its pledge.

"The Government needs to recognise that this decision will hit some of the poorest residents in our borough and other communities across the country.

“We have invested in our ALMO so that it could meet the standard needed to get the funding. The decision to take millions of pounds away from Havering and other parts of the country is letting down thousands of families. This decision can be changed and we're demanding the Government change it."

ENDS

 Author: LGA Media Office
 Contact: LGA Media Team, Tel: 020 7664 3333