Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing gets five-year contract extension

A COUNCILLOR failed to block a housing group from continuing to manage thousands of homes across Huddersfield.

Kirklees Council’s Cabinet voted to allow Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) to carry on for another five years.

The organisation has managed 23,000 council homes for the last nine years – bringing in £165m of investment.

But Kirkburton Conservative Clr Christine Smith wants change.

She told yesterday’s Cabinet meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall: “I don’t understand how you can give five more years to an organisation which has shown so little accountability. You’re making a great mistake.”

Clr Smith accused KNH of being responsible for a series of “fiascos”.

She added: “The 23,000 tenants are very confused at times because they believe that it’s the council which is still responsible. When things go wrong for a tenant, they ring their councillor, not KNH.”

But Kirklees Labour leader Clr Mehboob Khan said KNH had delivered millions of pounds of investment.

The Greenhead man added: “The vast majority of our council tenants tell us they are very satisfied with the condition of the properties they live in.”

The Labour Cabinet voted unanimously to extend KNH’s contract for another five years from April.

Kirklees will also draw up plans to transfer more powers to KNH.