Camden faces campaign for arm's-length 'no' vote

Camden council is facing a concerted campaign to persuade tenants to vote "no" in a ballot over the setting-up of an arm's-length management organisation.

It would be the first "no" from tenants asked whether or not they want an ALMO. Indeed, there is no legal requirement for the council to hold such a ballot.

Campaign group Defend Council Housing is fighting the plan to set up an ALMO to plug the £283m investment gap in the council's 33,000 homes. It has been organising meetings and publishing a regular newspaper to update tenants on the vote, to be held in November.

Alan Walter, Camden coordinator of DCH, said: "The question is how long homes managed by an ALMO will stay in council ownership. Setting up a separate company is more than a cosmetic change. Tenants in Birmingham saw through the council campaign and we aim to ensure the same happens here," he added.

Neil Litherland, director of housing at Camden, accused DCH of using "unfounded scare tactics" and said: "The ballot will not be legally binding, but if we get a 'no' vote, it'd be highly unlikely we'd go ahead with the ALMO.

If we get a ‘no’, we won’t be able to meet the decent homes target. It’s as simple as that. There is no plan B

Neil Litherland, Camden council

"We also wouldn't be able to meet the decent homes standard by 2010. It's as simple as that. There is no plan B. We couldn't do a stock transfer and with the private finance initiative, we are struggling to get our two vehicles off the ground as it is."

Walter responded: "There should be a fallback plan. The council should be lobbying central government to get extra money. If the government can afford to set aside £283m for an ALMO, why can't it simply give it to a three-star authority?"

Litherland said that now funding had been confirmed, the council would begin a concerted campaign to inform tenants about what the money would mean for their homes – and the lack of an alternative.