COUNCIL properties in Kirklees are to return to in-house management following a vote by the council’s decision-making Cabinet.

More than 21,000 properties will come back under the authority’s direct control before the end of March 2021.

The move spells the end of Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH), the arms-length management organisation (ALMO) that has run the borough’s council homes since 2002.

The final decision came after an 11-week consultation with tenants and lease-holders, which resulted in more than 2,500 responses.

Clr Cathy Scott, the council’s Cabinet member for Housing and Democracy, said the results revealed that people were “less concerned about who delivers services and more focused on the quality and impact” of them.

She said the tenants’ voice was “crucial” and added: “Council houses should be run by the council” and said the change to an in-house delivery represented a “merging” of expertise between the council and KNH.

Supported housing plan for former Council depot in Mirfield

There were questions on how the service might work from Lib Dems and Conservatives.

Clr Anthony Smith (Lib Dem, Lindley) said he was pleased that privatisation had been ruled out but said he was not convinced that the ALMO model was “fundamentally broken”.

And he warned: “The benefits of bringing housing stock back in-house are not clear cut.

“There is much at stake and I still have concerns that in the medium- to long-term there is a danger that such a move could result in a loss of clarity of mission  and that the voice of the tenant could be diluted.

“It is my strong belief that any change to model should ensure that the voice of the tenant is strengthened in a way that puts their views and needs as close to decision-making as is possible.

“I recognise the challenges around compliance and risk and acknowledge that, whatever model is adopted, this is an area that needs improvement, with dedicated attention at the highest level, and laser-focused direction in a post-Grenfell world.”

That was echoed by Clr John Taylor (Con, Kirkburton), who said he was not convinced that the ALMO was “a broken model”.

He praised the management at KNH and said the change represented an opportunity to take knowledge and learning into the new model.

He sounded a note of concern that the voice of tenants could be lost within the bureaucracy of a local authority and sought assurances that the success of the transfer would be measured.

Clr Scott pledged to provide an update on the changes within about 18 months of the transfer in March.

Transferring housing to council control involves more than 21,000 council-owned properties across the borough ranging from 6,464 one-bedroom flats to five six-bedroom houses.

The vast majority of those are currently managed by KNH.

Staff will transfer via TUPE from KNH to Kirklees Council.