The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) is calling for the Government to provide a long term, sustainable future for the movement whose member organisations manage one million council properties in England.

It comes as a response to proposals by Warrington based ALMO, Golden Gates Housing, to transfer its stock to a Registered Social Landlord. The move would take the housing organisation, which manages more than 8,800 homes in the Warrington

area, out of the ALMO movement. It is being planned so that Golden Gates Housing can access additional, multi-million pound resources to finance housing services and maintenance work now that its 'Decent Homes' funding has finished. The move follows similar proposals announced by Oldham based ALMO First Choice Homes last week.

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The Government has allocated a budget of £6.1 billion to its highly successful 'Decent Homes' programme to improve council properties on some of the most challenging estates in the country. The first ALMOs were established in April 2002 - the latest two going 'live' earlier this year - and the movement has attracted cross-party support. To date, the 69 ALMOs have improved more than 250,000 homes as well as pioneering a wide range of community initiatives.

The NFA believes that ALMOs offer a proven model for the provision and management of social housing but that the uncertainty about a post Decent Homes role needs to be urgently clarified.

Dennis Rees Chair of the NFA said: "The NFA recognises and promotes the rights of housing tenants to make informed choices about how their homes are managed. However, the decision should be based on real choices not a last resort simply due to lack of investment in council housing. The Government must act now to reform the housing subsidy system to provide ALMOs with secure funding in the long term otherwise the progress of the 'Decent Homes' programme will be squandered through a lack of investment.

(CD/JM)