HOUSING services controlled by Redditch Borough Council have been criticised following a damning report from the Regulator of Social Housing.
The inspection found the repairs service had nearly 3,000 overdue jobs and a back-office admin clean-up closed 1,200 of those as already-completed job tickets, removing 40 per cent of the nominal backlog.
The council recieved a C3 consumer grade indicating serious failings in some tenant services and the need for significant improvements.
The Regulator also found that tenants were not sufficiently involved in decision-making and lacked access to performance information.
New engagement schemes, including scrutiny panels and policy review groups, are now being put in place, with details in a refreshed annual report being delivered to all council properties.
Councillor Bill Hartnett, portfolio holder for housing, said: “We take this judgement very seriously. It confirms the importance of the issues we’re already tackling.
“And we are not alone. We have joined most councils in receiving a ‘C3’ grade from the Regulator as the sector adjusts to the new rules, and we are now redoubling our improvement efforts to ensure high quality housing for our tenants.
“There is no cause for alarm. The Regulator recognises our commitment to resolving these issues and we’re already acting by adding more staff and services, speeding up precautionary fire door replacements, removing outdated water supplies, rolling out new tenant panels, reporting more information to the executive committee, and more.
“All of this is detailed in our new and improved annual report, now being delivered to tenants.”
Visit redditchbc.gov.uk/ROSH for the complete report.
