Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing is encouraging residents to sign an online petition posted on the 10 Downing Street website which calls for Government ministers to honour their financial pledge to provide the organisation with Decent Homes funding.

In July Housing Minister, John Healey, announced that the Government would transfer millions of pounds from Charnwood’s 2010-11 Decent Homes programme to build new homes. The Number 10 petition is calling for the Prime Minister to ensure that all Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) who qualify for the Decent Homes funding, immediately receive the amount promised.
The campaign is backed by the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) whose 69 member organisations manage over 1 million council homes.

The NFA is working closely with residents across the country by advising them on how best to make their case to ministers, and has commissioned a research document exploring the benefits of Decent Homes. The research shows how living in a Decent Home standard property – which are warm, dry and with modern facilities - does not merely boost health and wellbeing, but also improves residents' lives via home security/crime reduction, community cohesion, educational attainment, lifelong achievement, jobs and apprenticeships.

The decision to withdraw funding from Charnwood will have a significant effect on both tenants and contractors in the borough – just as the building industry and employment have been hit hard by the recession.

Roger Merchant, Chair of Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing, predicts huge disappointment will be felt among residents who will now be unable to enjoy the improvements to their homes as promised by the Government.

Roger said: "The improvements are vital for people who are often the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in the area. These improvements are not merely a matter of comfort, but are essential to the health and wellbeing of residents. This is why people will feel so let down and why there is such great impetus for what will be a wide-ranging campaign."

Before the Decent Homes programme's introduction, 2.1m homes across Britain did not reach the Decent Homes standard. Now, as a result of Government funding, 82 per cent of housing is 'Decent', 250,000 of which is managed by ALMOs.

Roger added: "Given there will shortly be five million people on council waiting lists it is essential that we continue to maintain and improve existing stock, as well as build new homes. New builds alone will never satisfy demand. Reducing money allocated to Charnwood's Decent Homes programme is not the right solution."

The closing date to sign the petition is 23rd February 2010 and to do so please click here