Homes in Havering lose out on £100 Million Grant

Havering Council has demanded the reversal of a shock Government announcement that will see the withdrawal of millions of pounds earmarked for council housing improvements in the borough.

The funding, to bring the borough's council homes up to the 'Decent Homes' standard, was dependent on Homes in Havering achieving two stars in its September inspection. £9 million would have been available this year, with a further £21 million next year. The remainder of £82 million would then be spent over future years to ensure that all council homes have modern windows, kitchens and bathrooms.

This funding had been promised to the Council if it gained its 2 stars, however the money will now not be available until at the earliest 2011 or 2012 and only if Homes in Havering gain 2 stars in September.

Cllr Mann said “It is deplorable and typical of this Government. They have not only moved the goalposts, but taken the pitch and turned it upside down”.

However, we should remember why we are in this position in the first place. Access to additional funding of £112 million depended on Homes in Havering getting a two star assessment. The last assessment by the Audit Commission awarded just a single star, highlighting such weaknesses as poor handling of complaints, low satisfaction in dealing with anti-social behaviour, lack of customer focus, poor level of first time repairs, no clear programme of decorating and an inconsistent quality of cleaning to communal areas.

This bleak picture was further impaired by the discovery of a £2m black hole in the accounts last year and a very generous payment to a chief executive who simply failed to deliver. Although this decision by the Government has let our tenants and leaseholders down, they were already let down by Homes in Havering.

Cllr Mann went on “I am not saying that improvements have not been made, but it is far from clear that HiH will receive 2 stars at the next assessment and time will tell. What is clear is that our tenants and leaseholders deserve is a service which provides prompt attention, clear planning and value for money and this is what we must strive to achieve”.

The £30m additional funding in 2009/10 and 2010 would have been used for:

1,515 families benefiting from new, energy-efficient boilers, thus tackling the fuel poverty they are experiencing at this time of economic uncertainty
1,118 new bathrooms and 1,682 new kitchens, including water-conservancy features
153 families benefiting from extensive works to poor quality homes of non-traditional construction types
Window replacements to 349 homes and door replacements to 241 properties, in support of the Government's energy efficiency and climate change agendas
115 extra properties receiving improvements to their electrics
13 properties having renewed roofs