Residents First

White City Right to Buy Roadshow this weekend

White City residents are being urged to visit the Right to Buy Roadshow when it visits the estate this weekend.

So far, over 500 council tenants have attended roadshow events where they have been able to find out if they are eligible for a discount of up to £75,000 on the price of their council home.

As a result of the extended discount, there have been 92 Right to Buy applications in the last year in this borough, compared to just 39 in the whole of the previous year.

The next Right to Buy Roadshow event is on Saturday, May 19 at the White City Community Centre, India Way, from 10am - 2pm.

At the roadshow, the council’s dedicated Home Buy team will be able to calculate the discount that you are eligible for and tell you everything you need to know about buying your own home and all of the responsibilities that entails. Independent financial advisors will also be on hand to offer their thoughts.

Cllr Andrew Johnson, cabinet member for housing, said:

“The extended Right to Buy discount is truly fantastic news for anyone who has ever dreamt of purchasing their own home but never thought that it would be financially possible. I would like to urge White City council tenants to visit the Right to Buy roadshow so that they can find out all the details and make an educated decision about whether the Right to Buy is the best thing for them.”

One person who attended the first event was mother of three, Maria Afonso. Maria, 38, of Cathnor Road, Shepherds Bush, said: “It was a very good event. There was lots of information available and I was able to find out everything that I needed to know about buying my own council home. My husband and I will be applying because it really is a huge discount and a fantastic opportunity to do something positive for our family.”

If you are unable to make the road-show but are interested in finding out about Right to Buy in Hammersmith and Fulham email h&fhome-buy@lbhf.gov.uk or telephone 020 8753 6464.

To qualify, residents must meet certain criteria. For example the tenant must have been living in the property for at least five years. The property must also be the tenant’s only or principal home. Other conditions apply.

Building a Housing Ladder of Opportunity

A radical revolution in the way that social housing is allocated and tenancies granted in Hammersmith & Fulham is aimed at rewarding hard working residents with a local connection to the borough, who make a positive contribution to the community.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has unveiled a range of measures to drive housing growth, tackle the social and economic divide in the borough and improve council housing services.

The council has a strong track record of protecting local vulnerable adults, such as people with dependency issues and victims of domestic violence. The proposed new strategy will ensure that the council continues to meet their housing needs.

Hammersmith & Fulham has one of the highest proportions of social housing in London, with around 33 per cent social rented. That compares to a London average of 25 per cent and a West London average of 21.5 per cent. Just over two per cent of the borough’s housing is intermediate.

H&F is also one of the first councils in the country to get back into building homes, after a 30 year absence. These properties will be sold at a discounted market rate to those on low to middle incomes who live or work in the borough and might struggle otherwise to get onto the property ladder.

Tudor Rose a huge success

Two youth schemes based at the brand new Tudor Rose community centre at Fulham Court are proving to be hugely popular.

The £1 million base was opened by Hammersmith & Fulham Council on the Fulham housing estate in December 2011.

The centre replaced a crumbling 20-year-old prefab building and combines a ground-floor children’s centre for families with children under five and a first-floor community centre which is able to host everything from youth groups to healthy eating classes.

Since the centre opened, the council has been busy providing schemes aimed at teenagers who live in the area.

Young people who are not in employment, education or training have been taking part in Futsal courses, ran by the ‘Let me Play’ organisation. Futsal is similar to five-a-side football but is played indoors and with a smaller ball. The youngsters have taken part in a Futsal sport and education programme aimed to improve their prospects of a successful future.

The players, aged between 16 and 21, recently took part in a tournament in Swindon and competed against the Reading FC Futsal Academy.

The Tudor Rose has also been hosting boxing courses, organised by the Sands End Police Community Boxing Club. The club has already been particularly successful engaging with pupils at nearby Hurlingham and Chelsea School and course leader, Richard Powers hopes that housing estates across the country will be keen to take up his courses. It's popularity has even led to a women-only class being added due to exceptional demand.

Cllr Andrew Johnson, cabinet member for housing, said:

“I’m delighted that this wonderful new centre is already starting to be used so well. There are many young people on the Fulham Court estate who often claim that they have nothing to do so it’s really positive that these two courses are taking them off the streets and helping them to achieve great things. As more people learn about the Tudor Rose building I hope it will encourage other groups to use the facilities.”

If anyone is interested in activities taking place at the Tudor Rose or would like to hire out the space, please contact the Fulham area housing office on 020 8753 4802.

Second Right to Buy Roadshow this weekend

The second Right to Buy Roadshow takes place this weekend, offering council tenants a chance to find out if they are eligible for a discount of up to £75,000 on the cost of their home.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council estimates that almost 400 people attended the first roadshow event and large crowds are again expected to descend on the Small Hall at Hammersmith Town Hall, on Saturday, May 5, from 10am - 2pm.

Following pressure from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, the Government has recently increased the maximum Right to Buy discount from £16,000 to £75,000. This means that thousands of tenants now have a once-in-a lifetime chance to get onto the housing ladder.

In Hammersmith & Fulham alone, 250 council tenants have already began the process of buying their homes.

New housing contracts to drive improved services

Companies from around the country attended an event about how to bid for two large housing contracts on Friday

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is going to market with a view to procuring contracts for its housing repairs and maintenance and housing services and is searching for businesses that share its aims and values.

The council is on the lookout for new contractors and partners who will provide the best possible services for the 17,000 households who live in council housing, while achieving greater efficiency and value-for-money for taxpayers.

The ten year housing repairs and maintenance contract is worth approximately £250m and will cover reactive repairs, some planned preventative maintenance along with the potential for delivery of some other services which is being explored.

Council statement on housing benefit

Cllr Andrew Johnson, Hammersmith & Fulham Cabinet Member for Housing, says:

"The government’s policy to reduce the benefits cap, to a level nearer the market price, aims to stop private landlords overcharging taxpayers to house tenants on benefits and we support that.

"In H&F alone just 69 households were costing over £2million a year. Ten households received more than £46,800 in rent alone.

"But in H&F we do not want to see anyone having to leave the area because of the cap. In Hammersmith & Fulham 63% of landlords we house people with have reduced their rents to below the cap and tenants have therefore not had to move. Only seven of the households for which we are responsible have been housed outside London, all of them close to London and generally because their own circumstances made it possible.

"We have set up a special fund of £400,000 to help bridge the gap for our most vulnerable families. While we are looking at a range of options, we have not signed up to any scheme to move large numbers of people outside London."

Amazing transformation at Becklow Gardens

Work to transform a derelict former health clinic in Shepherds Bush into two contemporary one bedroom flats is almost complete.

Three months ago, the Becklow Gardens clinic was nothing but a derelict shell of a building.

Since then, builders have been working tirelessly to convert the space into two flats complete with spacious kitchens and modern bathrooms.

In addition to these homes at Becklow Gardens, 23 new properties will be built across six other sites in the borough.

The construction follows a council announcement last year that it would be establishing its own housing development company in order to directly provide new affordable homes for the first time in 30 years to help local people living or working in the borough to get onto the property ladder and help create a Borough of Opportunity.

H&F has the fourth highest house prices in the UK, and the scheme aims to give local people on low to middle incomes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own their own home at a discounted market rate.

The council has been inundated with interest since marketing the two properties which will be sold at discounted market rate to people with a household income of up to £60,000.

Each property comprises a contemporary fully-fitted kitchen including a dishwasher and washing machine, central heating, double glazed windows, off-street parking and communal gardens.

Cllr Andrew Johnson, cabinet member for housing, said:

“We’re committed to creating ladders of housing opportunity in Hammersmith & Fulham and I’m delighted to see the completion of the first of our local housing company’s new homes at Becklow Gardens. When I came to see this derelict building at the start of the year, it was hard to envisage it being converted into such stylish and modern homes, yet we’ve done it.

"This borough has some of the highest house prices in Britain, which is why creating low cost home ownership opportunities for our residents on low to middle incomes is one of our top priorities. Schemes like this show that there is light at the end of the tunnel as we strive to create a low cost home ownership Borough of Opportunity.”

Through the housing development company structure the council will be able to maximise its financial return, retain the benefit of any affordable housing that is developed and maintain greater control over the design of the new housing schemes.

The housing development company will initially be funded by money the council has saved from selling off void properties that are too expensive to repair but in the longer term is intended to become self-financing. Any profit made in the early years could be used to pay for estate improvements, such as better open spaces, and improved security for residents, as well as more new homes.

H&F Home Buy will undertake the process of identifying suitable applicants from the Home Buy register. To register with Home Buy call 020 8753 6464 or email h&fHome-buy@lbhf.gov.uk.

400 people attend Right to Buy Roadshow launch

People were queuing around the block as the H&F Right to Buy Roadshow launched last weekend.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council estimates that almost 400 people visited the event at 145 King Street, to find out if they were eligible for a discount of up to £75,000 on the price of their council home.

Queues began to form even before the event opened and 130 people made it through the door in the first hour.

200 people said that they wanted to sign up to the extended Right to Buy scheme, meaning that since the discount was increased earlier this month, 250 H&F council tenants have began the process of buying their homes.

Following calls from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, the Government has increased the maximum Right to Buy discount from £16,000 to £75,000. This means that thousands of tenants now have a once-in-a lifetime chance to get onto the housing ladder.One person who attended was mother of three, Maria Afonso. Maria, 38, of Cathnor Road, Shepherds Bush, said: “It was a very good event. There was lots of information available and I was able to find out everything that I needed to know about buying my own council home. My husband and I will be applying because it really is a huge discount and a fantastic opportunity to do something positive for our family.”

Right to Buy roadshow this weekend

Council tenants can find out if they are eligible for a £75,000 discount on the cost of their home at the H&F Right to Buy roadshow launch event this weekend.

Following pressure from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, the Government has recently increased the maximum Right to Buy discount from £16,000 to £75,000. This means that thousands of tenants now have a once-in-a lifetime chance to get onto the housing ladder.

Many tenants have already contacted the council’s Home Buy team to find out if they are eligible for a bumper discount. And to ensure that all tenants have a chance to speak to a council expert, a number of roadshow events have been arranged.

The first roadshow is this Saturday April 21, from 10am to 3pm, at H&F Advice, 145 King Street, W6 9XY.

Earls Court progress report to go before Cabinet

A progress report around the decision on whether to include West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates in the planned comprehensive redevelopment of Earls Court is due to go before Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Cabinet.

The report will include the draft terms of a Conditional Land Sale Agreement (CLSA) with developer Capital & Counties, the owner of Earls Court exhibition centres.

It also includes the preliminary findings of a consultation with residents into the substantive terms of the CLSA, which includes the offer to Tenants, Leaseholders and Freeholders negotiated by a Steering Group of residents living on the estates.

A decision on whether to include the estates in wider plans for the area is likely to be made in the comings months but H&F Council Leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh said he wanted to put as much in the public domain now as possible so people can be clear on where the Council is in its thinking.