What is Northwards Housing?

Northwards Housing is an 'arms length management organisation' - or Almo - that took over management of 13,000 City Council homes in north Manchester in December 2005.

Council tenants in the area voted overwhelmingly for the change in a ballot in September 2005. See the proposal document they voted on - it describes the role of Northwards in detail.

Northwards Housing is a not-for-profit organisation created by tenants' reps and the City Council to deliver top-notch housing services - like ordering repairs and collecting rent. It's separate and independent of the council, but the council continues to own the housing, and you stay legally as a 'council tenant'.

An Almo has access to millions of pounds of extra spending to pay for vital improvements to bring all housing to at least the government's 'decent homes' standard. The government's Audit Commission inspectors check an Almo's performance six months after it's set up - that was June 2006 for Northwards. The government releases the extra cash as long as the housing service reaches at least a two-star (out of three) standard. Find out more about the inspection.

Find out more about almos (government website).

Improvements in the Northwards area will go much further than the decent homes standards - with every home seeing the benefits in the first two years - see Home improvements.

Consultation

Consultation showed that local tenants wanted Northwards to be:

  • custom-made for the tenants of this part of Manchester
  • an equal partnership of tenants, the Council and others with business and legal knowledge
  • not-for-profit and shaped by tenants' priorities and values

See how these aims have been turned into reality in the Northwards mission statement.

Who runs Northwards?

A 12-person board of volunteers manages Northwards and makes decisions independent from the Council. Northwards covers a wide area, but it maintains its strong local connections through its three 'area panels'. Many people who work for Northwards are ex-City Council local housing staff who transferred to the new organisation, joined by others who bring new expertise and experience in vital areas.

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