12 September 2003
Birmingham is struggling to meet housing targets after council tenants rejected a transfer to new registered social landlords.
The local authority is likely to meet only four out of 11 government targets and needs to step up its efforts to achieve the decent homes standard by 2010, councillors have been told.
Tenants voted against the transfer of 80,000 homes to RSLs 18 months ago. A commission, set up following the Birmingham ballot, recommended in December that the properties should be taken over by community-based housing organisations, owned by the council.
A report presented to the city's Cabinet on September 1 said urgent action was needed if community-based pathfinders were to be set up as proposed.
The council also faces major problems over repairs, tenancy agreements and improving neighbourhoods. 'We recognise that there is further urgent work to do to improve the programming and delivery of repairs and other services which affect tenant satisfaction,' said the report.
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