- Conference
- 2008 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 22 February 2008
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference welcomes the Government’s commitment to:
1)Two million new homes by 2016 and three million by 2020;
2)The review of the housing revenue account ‘to ensure that we have a sustainable, long term system for financing council housing’;
3)Recently published figures from Communities and Local Government suggest that over the next 15 years HRA surpluses (that will otherwise accrue to the Government) will amount to some £7.5bn;
4)The statement in ‘Firm Foundations’ that the Scottish Executive want ‘to reverse years of decline that local authorities have suffered as social landlords’ and that it ‘believes that they have a vital role to play in working alongside registered social landlords to meet demand for social housing’.
Conference notes:
a)The continuing trend of mergers in the Registered Social Landlord sector and the possibility that some of the larger RSLs might seek to become PLCs;
b)UNISON’s research into pay and conditions in the Registered Social Landlord sector that identifies major concerns;
c)The growth in the potential for individual estate based transfers;
d)That the impact of the problems in the sub prime mortgage market spreading to the UK make it totally unrealistic to expect that the private sector will build the required number of homes nor that they will provide homes at a price that is affordable to working class people.
Conference believes:
i)That local authorities have a big contribution to make through the provision of new council housing including within a mixed tenure framework;
ii)That the outcome of the HRA Review is critical to securing the best future prospects for members’ terms and conditions and employment;
iii)That UNISON should work with the Housing Corporation and it’s successor the Homes and Communities Agency, National Housing Federation and Government in the devolved nations to develop a national job evaluation and should consider the implications for members of an RSL moving from the not for profit sector to the for profit sector;
iv)That the planned expansion in affordable housing offers significant opportunities to expand UNISON’s membership base in all types of housing provider, and strategic organising targets should be identified across the housing sector.
Conference therefore resolves:
A)To seek to actively influence the considerations of the Review of the Housing Revenue Account with the following objectives:
A1)that the allowances for management; maintenance and major repairs properly reflect the resourcing needs of a well managed and maintained housing stock in good repair
A2)that an additional ‘new build’ allowance is introduced with thin the HRA subsidy system to enable local authorities to use the prudential framework to finance the building of new council housing to assist in meeting housing need within their localities
A3)that nationally the housing revenue account is not used by the Treasury to subsidise non council housing functions;
B)To campaign for the widest possible measures that enable local authorities to build new council homes where they would be contributing to meeting housing need in their locality;
C)To continue to support branches and members faced with proposals for stock transfer and to develop advice for branches where local authorities are negotiating for the removal of some or all of their stock from the HRA either for a fixed period or indefinitely;
D)To continue to campaign for a ‘level playing field’ between different providers in the housing sector;
E)To promote the expansion of the role of both local authorities and registered social landlords in the management of whole mixed tenure developments and that such management should be provided by accredited, organisations, subject to inspection with high standards of housing management and resident participation, underpinned by a strong financial position and a well trained and well paid workforce;
F)To campaign for the right of ALMO’s to return to Local Authorities;
G)To monitor changes to terms and conditions of Housing staff subsequent to stock transfers, establisment of ALMOs or RSL mergers, and to provide support to branches resisting detrimental changes;
H)To continue to organise a national forum for Housing workers and to encourage the establishment and maintenance of Housing activists meetings at a regional level.