Dear Editor,

I enthusiastically agree with your article on ALMOs ('Top performing council calls for status quo to be an option', Property People issue 380). Precisely where is the evidence that third parties do a better job on repairs and refurbishment than most councils?

The real danger is that ALMOs seem to amount to rebranded housing associations with a new and sexy makeover. For council tenants the reality may turn out to be bleak.

Genesis/Paddington Churches Housing Association have completed their colonisation of the troubled West Hampstead H.A. and have left two marks on it: firstly the name has changed to Pathmeads for some incomprehensible reason and secondly the debt, as of a year ago, had risen from £3M to £11.5M. The current figure is secret.

It continues to maintain secret all its management board agendas and minutes; for two years it has been refusing to allow certain tenants access to their files although some headway has been made on this, and operates its Annual General Meetings under another cloak of secrecy. Tenants are charged service charges not against costs incurred but in case works might be needed at some time in the future, a policy which might prove to be at best improper and at worst fraudulent. PCHA have refused to allow WHHA (Pathmeads) tenants a tenants' association, any representation on the board and have shut down the only consultative group, a committee set up by the London Borough of Camden's sadly late Executive Member for Housing, Bryan Weekes.

And as for the rule book, the Policy & Procedure documents, yes, they are withheld too.

When a tenant asks for a chimney to be unblocked to provide ventilation to combat mould and fungal growth in Genesis' brand new refurbishment then we are told that it is too expensive; and yet Genesis have made well over £15M annual profit last year and pay their chief executive a reported £3,000 per week.

Before council tenants are thrown into the jaws of an ALMO they must be told how the board will be accountable and how, if it underperforms, it can be replaced. Housing Association tenants can be stuck often with at best appalling mediocrity and at worst incompetent idiots.

We can only pray that one day tanks will roll in and create regime change. Until then we can only console ourselves with our imaginary Information Minister's assurance that our enemies will commit suicide on the steps of their Head Office.

Council tenants, on the other hand, can continue to say "No"

Yours sincerely,

Peter Rutherford

Chair, WHHA Tenants Association (in exile)