Other stock options for local authorities

Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO)

An ALMO gives councils the opportunity to obtain necessary funding for housing but still maintaining ownership of their housing stock. Tenants remain secure tenants of the authority with no change to their rights.

However, the ALMO option is only open to authorities whose performance is at ‘good’ (two stars) or ‘excellent’ (three stars) standard, as assessed by the Housing Inspectorate.

An ALMO can manage all or some of an authority’s housing and can operate with a certain amount of independence but remain 100% under the control of local authorities and are usually constituted as companies limited by guarantee.

To form an ALMO, councils are not legally obliged to carry out a ballot of its tenants but tenant consultation is usually undertaken to ensure the process progresses to satisfaction.

PFI schemes

Once again the authority retains ownership of its stock in the case of PFI. However, PFI is mostly only utilised as a partial stock solution as it cannot realistically deliver the decent homes standard to all of an authority’s stock.

If you wish to discuss ALMOs or PFI schemes further with our team, please do get in contact.

Partnerships

Circle is keen to work with organisations that share its values and its commitment to providing good quality, affordable housing.

For example, strategic partnerships with our contractors have helped us build homes faster, control costs and develop more efficient ways of working. But our approach to partnering isn't just limited to contractors, local authorities and other relevant organisations. Residents play a key role in the lifespan of any development - from commenting on initial plans to monitoring services when homes are built.

Read our Partnerships case study: Rockingham Forest>

Mergers

Circle 33 and Anglia Housing Groups merged in 2005 to form Circle Anglia (now Circle). Since then the organisation has continued to evolve. In 2007, a further three housing associations and a telecare organisation joined the Group. In 2009, Mercian Housing Association joined the Group and in 2010, Merton Priory Homes was formed from Merton Council's transfer of stock.

We continue to actively pursue mergers with Registered Providers (RPs) in areas that complement the current infrastructure of the Group and would be keen to hear from any interested parties. Please contact us online.

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