Does your authority periodically withdraw services from an individual resident?
It may seem an odd question, but that’s what we found one council doing.
The resident had complained about water running down their walls, but council staff’s concerns about the resident’s behaviour led to them being informed that ‘all services’ would be withdrawn for a year.
Senior management were unaware, and recording was poor.
Practically, what this action meant, given councils’ statutory responsibilities, is unclear, but the risk of detriment is obvious.
It speaks to my concern that housing management has been neglected, given the other serious pressures councils face, leading staff to make irrational decisions in difficult circumstances.
Issues of housing quality are now to the fore and councils are rising to the challenge of damp and mould.
But the issues go far wider than damp and the scale of the challenge will intensify given our ageing social housing stock.
Nor can housing management be isolated from other council services. At the centre are people and communities and, increasingly, very vulnerable households.
There are many dedicated officers, and some visionary leadership among councils to develop new homes. Yet it is also critical to ensure core management services are working as they should.
Ultimately, the physical quality of homes will only be improved by unprecedented investment, public and private, into new homes and repairing old ones. Given the scale of challenges, this requires government support.
But it also requires quality of service and data on which to plan.
Quality of service requires timeliness, reliability and respect, especially in repairs, which can erode trust and confidence among residents without it. Our Complaint Handling Code can help landlords recover when things don’t go right first time.
Quality of data brings us back to council staff threatening to withdraw services – how good is your information and what don’t you know? Our latest Spotlight report offers comprehensive guidance to get this right.
Both will require effective leadership, culture and procedures. Complaints are a barometer of these, so make use of them.
- Richard Blakeway is speaking on the importance of housing quality at the LGA’s annual conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday 4 July – see www.local.gov.uk/conference to book your place. For more on the Housing Ombudsman, please visit www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
