Angus Council's social housing plans hit by blunder
An administrative blunder has thrown into chaos Angus Council's plan to appoint a new consortium as its preferred social housing provider.
- By Graham Brown
- Published in the Courier : 19.11.10
- Published online : 19.11.10 @ 11.29am
The authority was about to move forward the Scottish Government's preferred developer process for affordable housing provision. It was to accept an official recommendation to go with the group rated top among three bidders.
However, the suggested selection of the DOMUS consortium led to claims that jobs could be lost in the county and criticism from one leading developer that the proposal was not a good deal for Angus.
The issue has become mired in confusion after opposition councillors on Thursday night's neighbourhood services committee succeeded in an attempt to have the plan deferred, because elected members were not given a promised report on the scheme's progress.
The DOMUS consortium comprises Hillcrest Housing Association, Home Scotland, Perthshire Housing Association and Servite Housing Association.
SNP group leader Helen Oswald said that when the preferred developer process was brought before councillors, briefing sessions and a further report were promised.
Angus head of housing Alan McKeown confirmed two briefing sessions had taken place and, although they were poorly attended, there were Angus Alliance administration councillors who confirmed they had been present.
However, Mrs Oswald said the report on the issue, previously deferred to allow the briefings to take place, had not been brought back before the committee and the whole process was flawed.
'No blinding rush'
"We have missed a step along the way here. This report was never agreed ... the director of neighbourhood services has not, as far as I am aware, been authorised to go ahead and appoint a registered social landlord preferred bidder," she said.
Director Ron Ashton had told councillors there was "no blinding rush" to push the matter through.
"There is work for all the housing associations in Angus and there is absolutely no problem with this being brought back," he said.
The matter was put on hold after legal chief Sheona Hunter said officers would require "time to look at what's gone wrong."
Angus Housing Association had been set to lose out to the DOMUS consortium. Despite the recent development, it said there was still a cloud of uncertainty hanging over its future in affordable housing provision in Angus.
"There is clearly now a doubt over whether an agreed tender process has taken place," said AHA director Bruce Forbes. "In a sense it is a lifeline for us, but the problem is that for individual members of staff it still means that there is a period of uncertainty over the Christmas period...
"It (the tendering process) has taken a different turn which we did not expect it to take."
Photo courtesy of Flickr user woodleywonderworks.
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