New era in Housing for Penywaun
January 14, 2008
Wales has embarked on a unique experiment in social housing with the launch of RCT Homes, the UK’s first ever housing Community Mutual Trust.
Overnight, the transfer of the entire housing stock of more than 10,000 homes - including 672 in Penywaun - from Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council established RCT Homes as Wales’ largest social landlord.
The development of the Community Mutual model which is unique to Wales was promoted by the Welsh Assembly Government to produce a model for community-owned-and-controlled housing. All tenants in Penywaun aged over-16 will be eligible to become members of RCT Homes with the tenant membership controlling the organisation through a built-in majority at general meetings.
RCT Homes’s constitution also commits the organisation to promoting community involvement and to supporting economic regeneration and development of Penywaun and the other the
communities RCT Homes serves. This means that RCT Homes is obliged to work with other organisations to develop local skills training and to generate jobs through using local
labour.
In all, RCT Homes has pledged to invest a total of £170 million across Rhondda Cynon Taf over the next five years, the largest home improvements programme that Wales has ever seen with approximately £25 million being required annually after that in order to maintain and improve homes.
A programme to install 5,000 new kitchens, 4,000 new bathrooms and 6,000 energy-efficient boilers has already begun and other improvements will include extensive re-wiring, improved security measures and work on roofs, chimneys and fascias as well as a promised £1 million a year on environmental enhancements.
“We are not a traditional social housing organisation,” said Andrew Lycett, Chief Executive of RCT Homes. “Tenants will have more control and a greater say in how we are managed because we are a Community Mutual Trust. The community - including tenants in Penywaun - will be consulted every step of the way and will be actively encouraged to become proactive players in operational decision-making.”
“We are finally in a position to improve the lives of people living in Rhondda Cynon Taf by giving them the homes they deserve.”
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