Newham Council is apologising to tenants following the publication of a Judgement by the Regulator of Social Housing.
- Regulator of Social Housing report on London Borough of Newham published
- Newham pledges speedy improvements and says sorry to its tenants
- Much improvement already made since inspection in May, Council says
Newham Council is apologising to tenants following the publication of a Judgement by the Regulator of Social Housing which found it hadn’t met all of its obligations as a landlord in delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards – confirming it has already taken action on the majority of issues identified to ensure rapid improvement for its tenants, and will work alongside the Regulator.
“We take our responsibilities as a landlord very seriously. And we accept that we have let our tenants down in the areas outlined by the Regulator,” said Abi Gbago, Newham’s Chief Executive. “We unequivocally accept all the recommendations in the report. They will be addressed in the programme of improvement already well under way.
“We can and must do better for our tenants. We have long been prioritising actions aimed at keeping residents safe, making many improvements even since the inspectors visited us in May. In line with our culture of openness and transparency, we welcomed the inspector’s review of our how well we are delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards, providing them with opportunities to meet tenants, officers and councillors.” she added
“Keeping our tenants safe is our priority – which is why we were one of the first councils in London to take action to remove cladding from high rise blocks following the Grenfell Fire tragedy. “ said Cllr Shaban Mohammed, Lead Member for Housing Services and Modernisation. “The regulators have rightly focused on areas where we need to move further and faster – but I am glad they haven’t felt it necessary to take enforcement action against us. I will be closely monitoring the improvement plan and the way our improvement programme is delivered. “
Newham Council has already taken action on the majority of issues found by the Regulator, and the Corporate Director of Inclusive Economy and Housing, Paul Kitson, who took up his role in April is leading a major transformation of Newham’s housing stock and service. This will include improvements which are part of a £64m capital investment programme, and has already resulted in thousands of properties being repaired and refurbished by the council’s Damp and Mould task force, as well as a detailed repairs improvement plan. Since the inspection took place Newham has:
- Put plans in place to complete all overdue remedial fire risk actions. Additional measures include monthly inspection of all firefighting equipment, a mobile hazard removal service, and monthly liaison meetings with the London Fire Brigade.
- Written to all tenants who have not had an electrical installation inspection for more than ten years to offer appointments, and put in place additional resources to fast track this work
- As part of an ongoing repairs improvement programme, reduced the number of repairs past their target date. In August, 86% of repairs were completed in target and resident satisfaction with the repairs service has increased to 86%
- Published its housing performance online and will continue with the monthly process for internal performance reporting, and will continue reporting on performance to its tenants improvement panels
- Has continued to improve opportunities for residents to become involved in shaping policy and service improvements, with changes being made to reflect accessibility needs and content in the new Repairs Online form currently being designed, following engagement with the tenants repairs scrutiny panel
- Ensured there are records to show annual carbon monoxide and smoke alarms testing
The inspection concentrated on the four main ‘consumer standards’ which all landlords must meet which are the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Safety and Quality Standard, Tenancy Standard, and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.
It found serious failings in how the Council was meeting evidence standards in particular in the Safety and Quality standard which found:
- Electrical safety - at the time of inspection inspectors found more than 40% of LB Newham’s homes had not had an electrical condition test for more than 11 years.
- Fire risk assessments – with more than 9,000 overdue fire safety remedial actions, of which over 8,000 were overdue by more than 12 months
- Maintenance of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, where the inspectors did not find evidence of the borough meeting its requirements
- Reaching ‘decent homes’ standard – LB Newham does not have up to date stock condition information on the majority of its homes, with 60% not surveyed within the last five years, and 20% not reaching the requirements of the decent homes standard linked to modernisation of kitchens and bathrooms
- There were around 5,400 open repairs at the time of the inspection, of which 49% were outside of target dates but performance had improved
“We have committed to a programme of investment over the next two years of more than £60m to ensure our residents live in safe and secure homes” said Mr Kitson. “We are able to confirm that 100% of all our properties with gas boilers have fully working carbon monoxide alarms – as these are checked as part of an annual boiler maintenance programme.”
In the area of Transparency, influence and Accountability the inspection found limited evidence of the council sharing performance information with tenants, particularly when things go wrong, and few opportunities for them to influence and scrutinise the council’s strategies, policies and services.
However, Inspectors observed that Newham took a respectful approach to tenants, noting “we saw some evidence of LB Newham taking the diverse needs of tenants into account, and we saw evidence of LB Newham ensuring services were accessible to tenants with diverse needs”
It also reported that Newham’s approach to complaints handling was accessible, well publicised and broadly aligns with the requirements of the consumer standard, and that it worked with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour and hate crime. The inspectors also found that the Council allocates and lets its homes in a fair and transparent manner that takes into account the needs of tenants and prospective tenants.
“Our repairs and scrutiny panel was highlighted as a positive step by inspectors, and we are continuing to invest heavily in engagement with tenants to listen to as well as inform them. I will continue to provide regular reports to our elected members on the progress of specific areas raised along with the much wider programme of improvements we are running across all our housing services, and will look forward to working closely with the social housing regulator and to seeing our grading improve considerably on their next visit.” Mr Kitson added.
For more information or to see the full RSH judgement and council’s detailed FAQs
