UNITED RESIDENTS HOUSING IN TROUBLE? PROBLEMS WITH LOUGHBOROUGH EMO

On 23 March 2008, I received information that Loughborough TMO, the principal component of United Residents Housing, whose accounts have recently come under scrutiny, had been put into liquidation on Thursday 20 March 2008, and that the properties that it manages would now come under direct management by URH.

This was not correct. This TMO has, indeed, experienced serious management problems, and were it not for the intervention of Lambeth Council would be insolvent. Through mismanagement it had incurred debts in the region of £400,000, but arrangements have now been made for the Council to advance funds to cover this deficit. There is apparently no question of any money having been stolen, the funds have merely been wrongly applied, and not properly accounted for.

URH estate is composed of 2514 properties, of which 141 are freeholds. It manages 1910 tenancies and 463 leaseholds.

Loughborough contains 1262 properties, of which 39 are freeholds. It manages 1015 tenancies and 208 leaseholds.

Post updated 15/04/08

OPENERS

Starting a blog is always sticky, but surely there must be lots of people out there with things to say?

• A skeleton of the main ALMO (Lambeth Living) has been running for nearly a year now, but we still don't know whether it is going to be allowed. Can someone tell us the latest news? What is the cause of the delay?
• What are the chances of getting the money that we need to bring our homes up to date? How have other applicants fared? How much money is in the kitty?
• Why aren't the names addresses and telephone numbers of all board members available to the public?
• Why was David Pritchard Jones removed from the Board? Why has he not been replaced?
• What is happening with United Residents Housing? Is it true that it is experiencing severe financial and management problems?
• What is happening with Latmos? Is it true that a settlement has been reached in the on-going dispute regarding allowances?

I am sure that there are many other questions that people will want to ask. And that if you ask them councillors or officers will want to reply.