Arms length management organisations (ALMOs) have led a revolution in the management of council housing since they were first established in 2002. There are now 69 ALMOs which manage more than one million council homes across 65 local authorities.
ALMOs have demonstrated that they offer a better service to tenants than any other form of council housing management – ALMOs achieved higher inspection ratings than local authority managed housing or housing associations.
Under an ALMO the local authority retains the housing stock and controls the allocation policy.
ALMO Boards are made up of tenants, councillors and independent members who reflect the communities they serve enabling them to tailor services to needs. Central to the ALMO ethos and crucial to their success is the direct involvement of tenants in management. One third, or more, of every ALMO Board are tenants. There is no better driver to raising standards than having the people who will directly benefit make the decisions instead of having them made for them.
ALMOs produce real efficiency savings and deliver excellent value for money. However, improving housing standards is only one part of ALMOs’ work to regenerate neighbourhoods. They also have an active role in improving the local environment and contribute to the quality of the lives of tenants through providing out of school clubs, employment and training schemes, activities for both young and older people and the provision of advice on debt reduction and tackling fuel poverty amongst other services.