Minutes of FHA Meetings:

Notes from the meeting about Houses of Multiple Occupancy legislation

(No minutes taken, so this is all from memory I'm afraid – Cath)

Present – Spencer (Wild Peak), Cath (Cornerstone), James (Some Friends, London), Jane (Highbury Farm), Ceri (Out of Town), Cara (embryonic London co-op), lots of other people.

Following hassle from Tower Hamlets Council, Some Friends Housing Co-op got an email from the Dept for Communities and Local Govt (DCLG) which is responsible for housing. The DCLG confirmed to Some Friends that it is planning to implement the change in legislation and suggested they get in touch with the Friendly Housing Action lobby group – us! This is extremely encouraging and the first we’ve heard that it’s really likely to happen. Action: circulate the email to the list and get a copy up on the website (Action: Cath Cornerstone, Ben Brithdir Mawr)

We think that Baroness Andrews (whom we met previously) has been reshuffled. Therefore we are going to set up a meeting with her replacement to re-introduce the group and find out what their timescale is for implementing the legislative change. Action: approach Des Turner MP before he retires to arrange the meeting (Ceri, Out of Town). Action: write to replacement person introducing ourselves and asking for a meeting (Spencer, Wild Peak)

At the last meeting with Baroness Andrews, we agreed that Co-ops UK would provide statistics on the number of housing co-ops/people affected by the legislation and that we would provide case studies of potential or actual negative impacts on housing co-ops. Action: chase up John Goodman from Co-ops UK about it (Cath, Cornerstone). Action: Case studies from Out of Town, Cornerstone, Keveral, anyone else negatively affected to bring to the meeting and put up on the web (all, anyone, Ben, Brithdir Mawr).

It was noted that the minutes from the last meeting with the junior minister are nowhere to be found on the website. Action: Cath to dig them out from the email archive and get Ben to put them up somewhere.

It was also pointed out that many co-ops aren’t actually sure what the regulations are that they’ll have to meet. Action: put up fire safety regs and any other regs on the website (Jane, Highbury Farm & Cath, Cornerstone)