To the ballot box and beyond

If you listen really carefully you can faintly hear the cogs turning as the political parties shift up a gear into full blown General Election mode.

With the clock ticking down to the next General Election – you can already feel the mood and the perhaps, less than subtle, subliminal electioneering messages emanating from Westminster.

Whoever has the key to Downing Street in 2015 has the chance to shape housing

But with 16 months to go until polling day – now’s the opportunity for everyone – politicians, prospective politicians, housing professionals and, most importantly, tenants and local families – to help shape the debate around our country’s (and indeed our city’s) future housing need.

I think most people agree – we need to build more affordable homes to stimulate the economy and ease the social and welfare system pressures. But where we can’t seem to find a consensus is around how we do that, how we fund that – and who does it.

Earlier this week, the NationalFederation of ALMOs, of which Wolverhampton Homes is a proud member, became the first housing group to launch it Election Manifesto.

It’s an easy read – with a series of very simple messages.

We all know the stark financial and economic realities we’re operating in – and in which the new government, whoever it may be, will find themselves in.  Whether it’s cuts to local council services or the real human costs where we see hundreds of local people in our city visiting Food Banks every week just to get a hot meal for their families. What’s even more alarming is that an increasing number of those are people are in fulltime paid work, but who still desperately struggle to make ends meet.

But our aspirations and drive in the ALMO-sector needn’t be dampened by the financial constraints we find ourselves operating in. There are new challenges and new opportunities out there to support and encourage economic growth in our towns and cities. Providing decent affordable homes, great customer service and empowering tenants to build for themselves a better future needn’t break the bank. There are in fact lots of ways in which the new government can kick-start a housing revolution in this country.

Building new houses creates new jobs, boosts the economy and provides much needed homes. ALMOs have a great track record of delivering new builds. And why are ALMOs well placed to do this? I think it’s because we’re in a unique position where it’s our tenants who drive the agenda. What better way to drive success and raise standards than having those who are directly affected by what we do, at the helm.

But it’s not just about building new homes – it’s about:

• being more energy efficient 
• driving up standards in the private rented sector 
• tackling fuel poverty

• tackling the challenges of welfare reform
•  providing more skills and training opportunities 
• getting more people online 
• offering more debt advice services and support to credit unions.

The full NFA Manifesto is available to read online. Take a few minutes to take a look and decide for yourselves whether you think your elected representatives should be looking closer at the NFAs proposals to build a brighter future for our local communities.

So, now’s the time to contact your local MPs and local candidates to explain that it can be done – and, importantly, for economic and social prosperity, it desperately needs to be done.