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SALIX HOMES TENANTS FACE HUGE RENT INCREASE
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Star date: 7th February 2012
A Salford Star Exclusive
7.62% RENT INCREASE FOR SALIX HOMES TENANTS – WHILE SALIX FAT CATS RAKE IN OVER £450K…
Salix Homes – the `arms length' Salford City Council housing company – is to raise rents by a whopping 7.62%, almost £5 a week, from April this year.
Meanwhile, five Executive Officers at Salix received £462,000 between them in wages and `emoluments' according to its last accounts…
Full story here… |
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Salford Council's `arms length' social housing provider, Salix Homes, is to increase rents by a massive 7.62% - £5.21 per week (based on 48 weeks) or £4.81 per week (based on 52 weeks).
The massive increase comes at a time when wages are flat-lining and will affect thousands of people in Salford who don't get rent paid by housing benefit – well over 30% of total Salix tenants.
The increase was ratified by Salford Council last week, which justified it in Council-speak as follows…
"In the draft 2012/13 subsidy determination the target date for achieving rent convergence remains at 2015/16 (The rent convergence policy aims to develop consistent rental charges across social landlords taking into account property size, condition and local economic factors such as earnings). In order to achieve convergence within this timescale, an increase of 7.62% is required…"
Meanwhile, according to the last set of Salix Homes accounts, five of its `Executive Officers' received £462,000 between them in wages and `emoluments' during 2010-11…
Update: 9th Feb
Salford Council has been in touch with a quote from Lead Member for Housing Councillor Peter Connor:
“The Council follows a national government formula for setting the rents at Salix Homes. This has led to the increase we need to apply in order to comply with the formula and to achieve the convergence timescale. Average national rent increases in social housing are at eight per cent. If we don’t apply the government formula and achieve rent convergence then this will impact upon investment in decent homes.
“The Council will be contacting the minister to express our strong concerns about the impact of the national government formula rent increases on Salford people. Salix Homes are currently responsible for the management and maintenance of 10,500 council homes and have appropriate management in place to undertake this task. Salix have undertaken assessments and are working hard to support tenants from the impacts of welfare reform. The Council and Salix Homes will continue to deliver improvements for the residents of central Salford whilst looking to achieve efficiencies wherever possible.”
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caroline wrote
at 11:42:22 on 22 February 2012 |
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| All goverment council houseing has always run at a major loss.fact.But a private landlord would be taken to court..the council lie....oops..to grab houses and land from them....ooops.dear..dear did i say the truth. |
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Anti-Politician wrote
at 11:41:55 on 22 February 2012 |
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| Great posts OB. Inviting the relevant Clowncil Cretins to make comments in response to your very important observations would be most welcome . However , these deceiful Goons treat the citizens of this city with contempt and arrogance . They are far too busy rushing from bullshit secret meeting to bullshit secret meeting , pretending they know what they are about . Unfortunately , you will get no response from the Clowncil Cretins - they are far too fearful of facing the Anger of the Betrayed Citizens of this rotton city. If they had any decency , they would reply . |
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Ian - OB - Obrien wrote
at 21:35:11 on 20 February 2012 |
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| It is so tiresome to read people on here saying - don't blame Salix, blame central government. Why? This just gives Salford Council and it's cronies and cohorts a way to pass the blame for their own ineptitude and mis-management.
I will tell you a story about Salix homes, if I may. I lived in a block which was due for demolition a few years ago - Mark Avenue, near Rockley Gardens. I am sure many of you know it.
When I lived there I had one neighbour on the entire landing, a man of around 80 years who was stuck on the top floor of the piss stinking, darkened, glass strewn landing. I would help him with the almost impossible task (for him) of carrying his shopping up several flights of stairs.
One evening, following the funeral of a friends dad, I came home to find that my flat door had been kicked in, totally destroyed, snapped in half, and my boiler had been ripped out, flooding the place. I lived in that flat for 4 weeks before the door could be properly fixed (I had friends do the best they could to secure it) and without heating or....get this....a boiler! There were three or four different companies involved in the outsourcing chain apparently, and that was just for the door. One company responsible for the door, one for the joiner, another for a different joiner to fit the yale lock in the door, and on it went.
As for the boiler, a staff member at Salix told me they would not replace the boiler because 'some people are stealing them themselves'. I got the implication and, in the meantime, shivered and went to work unwashed three days a week.
My point is, lets face it, Salix homes are a disgrace. It is all very well Peter Connor, his excellency, talking about "investment in decent homes", but he should try living in one of them. Unless he means the decent homes that have been invested in around MediaCity and in New Broughton, but they are not for the people of Salford we must recall.
Well, rant over I suppose. To Mr Connor I would say - make the directors of Salix homes people who must suffer in Salix homes, and pay them 20k per year for doing what is, after all, only a bit of an admin job. I guarantee we would see the funding go further and massive improvements. Any comment Pete?
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zuleka wrote
at 22:30:15 on 18 February 2012 |
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hi, as a city west tenant we also have an increase in rent.
I would like to thank the City West tenant board members for their support in increasing the rent by
£4.36 per week. This is an annual increase of 6.53%!!!!!!!!!!!! Never mind, fellow tenant board members are we informed to be paid from April 2012..nice job if you can get it.. Totally Disgusted
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Lee Craven MBE wrote
at 04:45:39 on 18 February 2012 |
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| I see some people are upset that Salford Star Reafers are calling Salix Homes for the hike in Rent, I can assure you that I have not mentioned Salix any where in my write up, and fully understand the situation, I personally admire What Salix has done to Salford and feel that they have tried their best to make their homes a better place to live, So not all of are blaming Salix, it's the damn Government that we have are to blame. |
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Nachtschlepper wrote
at 16:34:29 on 17 February 2012 |
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Carl wrote
at 07:57:58 on 17 February 2012 |
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| You people need to get your facts right it's not Salix Homes that set the rents but central government.
Salix home does not have any alleged achievements but have worked hard to get all their achievements.you will also find that the services supplied by Salix Homes improves year on year.
So stop slagging off Salix homes. |
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Lee Craven MBE wrote
at 09:17:44 on 16 February 2012 |
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| After reading in the Salford Star, I was so shocked to read that Rents are to go up, at present I Struggle as it is to pay Full rent , now it looks like ?I will be breaking into my Penny Jar to survive,, It's so difficult to survive today and on low incomes and little to pay for other Bills, Enough's, Enough now , I can no longer afford to pay my Rent now, and like many others will suffer as ever by having to lend money |
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Pitchfork wrote
at 17:15:54 on 08 February 2012 |
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| Personally, I believe that Salix Homes is one of the most expensive ALMO's in the country, wasting tremendous amounts of our money on; ridiculously expensive consultants; touring the country to advertise themselves; relentless marketing strategies; promoting their alleged achievements, whilst failing to provide the most basic services -some facts might help:
Central Government are mostly to blame for the rent rises, as they have something called a 'Convergence Policy', (where all rents, private and social, should be the same)they impose this policy on all Councils, and every year social rents will go up to eventually equal the private renting market.
Taking the stock back in-house will not solve all the problems - maybe a Greater Manchester wide Council Housing provider would though, with one CEO and one senior management team as it would certainly cut back on wasted managerialist costs and duplication of professional functions (HR, Marketing Finance & Accounting, Contract Management/Procurement etc...).
More importantly - Rents are not just rising to unaffordable levels for tenants, but are also crippling Councils too. This is because the extra Rent is not made available to the Councils to spend on much needed services, but is taken by Central Government. |
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Nachtschlepper wrote
at 17:14:47 on 08 February 2012 |
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| In that case what purpose does it serve? Another buffoon who thinks yet another politician will make a difference. Dream on baby. |
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Pete wrote
at 06:48:37 on 08 February 2012 |
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| take it back in to Local Authority control well thats just what it is Salford CC hold all the power Salix are only managing agents. The Lead member holds the power. More power to the Mayor when he sacks the bloody lot of them I bet they will all take their pensions and not stand again. |
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Nachtschlepper wrote
at 20:02:56 on 07 February 2012 |
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| The solution is simple, take housing back into local authority control. |
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Pete wrote
at 20:02:22 on 07 February 2012 |
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| Well can we at least have it right. I am a big supporter of Salford Star, but it is not Salix Homes who set the rents but the Council.
Yes once again those Labour councillors have recommended this and I see very little evidence of there being an opposition to it. |
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Phil wrote
at 20:01:42 on 07 February 2012 |
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| Guess who I WON'T be voting for Mayor... |
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Beam me up , Scotty wrote
at 11:20:11 on 07 February 2012 |
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| Greed. Avarice .This will force many elderly and disadvantaged into hardship . But greedy , grubby Salix , and the greedy ,grubby clouncil dont give a toss . Has JM got any more 'good news 'so we can 'cascade' it about ? We're all in this together , my arse . |
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