Giroscope
diy working in hull
Giroscope Workers Co-operative began in May 1985 when a group of young people decided to do something positive about their housing situation. At the time, house prices in Hull were very low and homelessness was on the up. By persuading friends with jobs to take out mortgages and by borrowing money from wherever we could, we managed to buy four houses which we did our best to renovate.
In August 1986 we formed ourselves into a legal company. We chose to be a Workers Co-operative and registered with Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM). We were able to take advantage of assistance from Humberside Co-operative Development Agency (CDA) who advised us on the various legal structures and also basic business practices. We decided to incorporate into our rules a strict pay limit and consensus decision making.
We have managed over the years to raise considerable money from charities and trusts. We have also raised money and received gifts in kind from many companies. We have had grants from English Partnerships, the European Regional Development Fund and the National Lottery. Several years after the formation of Giroscope we changed our structure slightly to an organisation with charitable aims. This means that we are a workers co-operative and a limited company with charitable aims.
We provide a range of accommodation to rent, ranging from one bedroom flats to five bedroom houses. Our prospective tenants come to us by either word of mouth or through various agencies in the city established to help people in housing need. Some of our tenants use us as a short term housing solution whilst others stay with us for many years. Most of our tenants claim Housing Benefit which comes directly to the organisation. We do not charge deposits except in exceptional circumstances. Should any of our tenants find work then we agree with them a reasonable rent based on what is fair and what they can afford.’
now…
At the moment, Giroscope is composed of twenty houses, five flats and a shop (excluding our workshops and office space) all based in west Hull. All but three of our houses are fully occupied with tenants. Two of these houses which have only recently become vacant are being advertised and will be filled in the near future. The remaining vacant property is currently being renovated. This work is near completion and the prospective tenants are ready to move in. We are looking to buy another property in the area, which we can renovate to a high standard and rent out to people who are generally disadvantaged in the housing market. We undertake renovation work using environmentally friendly products and incorporate energy efficiency into our properties wherever possible. For example, two of our houses have solar panels which help to provide hot water and our workshops have them to create electricity.
what next?
The central process of buying derelict and semi-derelict houses and flats, renovating them and renting the properties out to people who are in housing need will continue at Giroscope. However, we are always looking to improve our organisation and develop new initiatives that will increase our cost effectiveness and improve our service delivery. These include the introduction of a more pro-active maintenance system. This would involve an annual survey of every Giroscope property to discover what work is required and what problems may occur in the future. With plans to expand our workforce there is the possibility of carrying out more outside contract work. We should not underestimate some of our specialist administrative knowledge and skills. At present we share our knowledge for free but there may be circumstances when we could charge for help given to other organisations in the future.’
John Wood, Giroscope
July 2001
