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

Highfield Towers

Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association, Action Member for Havering Park, Kevin Tonks (pictured above) has hit out at the current situation at Highfield Towers, in Collier Row, with the electric front doors to the Towers still not working after some seven months of being out of action.

He Said "Homes in Havering promised to fix the doors last August and here we are now, seven months later and they still have not been fixed, this is an unacceptable delay to the residents of Highfield Towers, who are being charged a service charge and not receiving a proper service"

Havering Park Ward Councillor, Andrew Mann, said "I have spoken with the HiH CCTV control room manager and been informed that the anti-social behaviour has increased ten fold over the last 7 months, it is putting unnecessary extra work on the local Police teams. It is beyond contempt that HiH have still not carried out this basic repair and they are letting their residents down badly".

Cllr Mann has now written to the Acting Homes in Havering Chief Executive, formally complaining about the situation.

Romford Recorder Letters Page

Below is a copy of a letter from Mawneys Team Member, Graham Price to the Romford Recorder, concerning the on going problems at Homes in Havering.

Dear Sir,

This has not been a good year for Homes in Havering and, as your article"Where's the cash gone", (Recorder, 31st October), graphically illustrates, it's going from bad to disastrously worse.

This is Havering Council's 'arms-length management organisation' which has come in for repeated criticism in the local press, and at three consecutive meetings of the North Romford Area Committee. At the April meeting I described the then Chief Executive, Stephanie Miller, as being "not fit for purpose". Within weeks she had resigned and, courtesy of Cllr. Curtin, she walked away with a pay-off of some £87.000.

Such was the furore arising from this, that Cllr. Curtin then resigned as Chairman of The Board of HiH. It is interesting to note the quoted comment of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr. Armstrong, that "We will obviously be there to ensure that we hold HiH to account". Brave words, but I have grave doubts that they will be sufficiently effective.

Yours sincerely,

GRAHAM PRICE

Collier Row and Mawneys Residents Association

Homes in Havering Troubles Continue

It has been announced by Havering Council today that Homes in Havering (HiH) has discovered a gap in its finances. The Council is investigating the exact details with HiH to deal with the issue, and a report on the situation will be brought to Cabinet shortly.

Apparently, the Council has raised concerns about HiH’s financial position and accounting practice over a number of months. HiH agreed with the Council that a team of forensic accountants undertake an initial audit of finances at HiH in September and that an interim Director of Finance should be appointed. His report now indicates a budget gap from last year’s accounts of between £1.8 million and £2.2 million.

Further work is now underway to clarify this year’s financial position, with the Council instructing HiH to account for any and all past and present budget gaps and explain how they occurred. The Council has also instructed HiH to cease all unnecessary expenditure, whilst safeguarding services to tenants and leaseholders, until its financial position is clear.

Havering Park Councillor, Andrew Mann said "I am amazed that HiH have managed to get themselves into such a mess, to over spend £2 million pound in a year is just unbelievable, it now seems that the former Chief Executive (Stephanie Miller) jumped off the ship at just the right time (see previous story on her £87,000 pay off) along with the finance director, who resigned just a month or so ago".

He went on "The only people to suffer in all of this, is the residents, lease holders and tenants of this Borough, with all none urgent expenditure cancelled, this will only serve to have a negative affect on our tenants. The Council needs to urgent set out exactly what is going on at HiH"

Homes in Havering Chairman resigns

Following a Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association campaign for Homes in Havering Chairman, Cllr Andrew Curtin to resign over the handling of the Chief Executives depature, we are please to post the following news release form havering Council.

Change to Council Representatives on Board of Homes in Havering

Havering Council has announced a change to its nominated representatives on the board of Homes in Havering. Councillor Andrew Curtin is standing down as one of the Council’s four representatives and will no longer serve as Chair of the board. Councillor Steven Kelly has been nominated to the board to fill the vacancy.

The Council does not appoint the Chair of the board - the election of a new Chair will be a matter for the board of Homes in Havering.

Councillor Andrew Curtin said: “I am standing down from the board of Homes in Havering with immediate effect. Homes in Havering will shortly be recruiting a new chief executive and this appointment will open up a new future for the organisation. Standing down as Chair will allow my successor to be involved in the recruitment process from the very start".

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chair and I believe the organisation has made great strides forward. I am very confident that Homes in Havering will achieve the two star rating needed to unlock over £100 million of Government funding in 2009 and I will support the organisation, alongside my Cabinet colleagues, as it continues to improve services to Council tenants and leaseholders.”

Councillor Steven Kelly added: “I’m very positive about the future for Homes in Havering and its tenants. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues to improve the quality of life on all of our estates.”

Homes in Havering Farce

Following the pay of of Homes in Havering Chief Executive last week, Havering Park Councillor, Andrew Mann has hit out at the Board Chairman and Cabinet Member for Housing, Conservative Councillors Curtin and Armstrong.

Councillor Mann has condemned the latest situation at homes in Havering to be an absolute farce, he has hit out at the pay off of the Chief Executive of Homes in Havering as outrageous and a crass waste of public money, that we the taxpayer will all have to pick up.
Cllr Mann said “How the Chairman of the board at HiH could even think about paying of someone who wanted to leave the organisation a whole year’s salary is beyond contempt, he should hang his head in shame and resign from the board immediately, he is playing foot loose with public money, whilst Council tenants strive to pay increased rent and charges, he is dishing out £87,000 like confetti”

He also criticised the involvement of Housing Cabinet Member, Cllr Michael Armstrong, Cllr Mann said, “He (Cllr Armstrong) should hang his head in shame along side his colleague Cllr Curtin, he has implemented charges to Council tenants and lease holders that are wholly unjustified and unnecessary, such as CCTV, cleaning and fly tip removal to name but a few”.

After reading HiH documents that Cllr Mann has obtained, he said “There is clear evidence to suggest what we have known all along, that these charges were actually a ruse to bring in extra cash for HiH and not about improving service delivery at all”.

Cllr Mann has also raised issues around the relationship of a Cabinet member being on the Board of HiH, let along the Chairman. He said “How can Cllr Curtin and Armstrong work independently of each other when they are both in the Cabinet together, it is clear that both of these Councillors are joined at the hip and decisions are being agreed between them and not in the interest of the residents of this Borough, this needs to be looked at by the Leader of the Council”.

Cllr Mann went on “Perhaps as we look for a new Chief Executive of HiH, it may be a good idea for the Board to look for a new Chairman”.

Homes in Havering lose out on Two Stars

Collier Row Councilor, Andrew Mann has spoken of his disappointment in Havering Council's "Arms Length Management Company" or ALMO, Homes in Havering, not being awarded its two stars by the Audit Commission, which now means that the Council will not be getting its £128 million to implement the Decent homes standards, HiH only achieved one star.

He said " With almost 1,500 Council tenants in Collier Row, this means a lot of disappointed residents living in Council properties, the Council is millions of pounds and years behind in its maintenance, and by Homes in Havering not getting its two stars, it means an even longer wait and to be honest, some of the Council stock can not wait that much longer as it is in a terrible state".

"The Council need to urgently look at why Homes in Havering did not get its two stars, they say they have improved in 20 out 0f 26 areas, but if that is the case, how can we only get one star, a lot more work needs to be done by our highly paid Cabinet Members in improving services to residents, why did the Tory Cabinet Members and HiH decide not to appeal ?".

He ended "Perhaps Cabinet Members should be on a performance pay scheme, i.e they only get paid if they provide results, at Havering our Cabinet Members are earning £42,000 a year for most of them a part time job, its about time they started delivering or go back to their day jobs"

New Residents in Collier Row

I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of 24 new homes in Bushey Close on the old Gobions School Site in Havering Road this week.

The houses were built by Family Mosaic, a Registered Social Landlord and total 14 x 3 bed houses and 10 x 4 bed houses. They form part of the 6 acre former school, the rest of the site has houses and flats for sale on the open market and total over 160 new properties in total

Cllr Mann said “I have been involved with the development on the Gobions site from the very beginning, meeting with residents, planning officers and the developers, Taylor Woodrow, it is nice as a Councillor to see something that is completed, from drawings on a piece of paper, to houses in the ground and people living in them”

Although over 40 houses now have people living in them, the rest of the area is still a building site and will not be completed in full until March next year, 2008, adding almost 300 new residents to Collier Row.

Cllr Mann went on, “I would like to welcome everyone living in Bushey Close to Collier Row, it’s a great area of the Borough and im sure they will all fit in with the surroundings just fine”

Heating Bill Increase

Elderly residents across Havering have been sent a very unwelcome Christmas present by the Tory Administration – a rise in the cost of their heating & hot water bills by 200%, with increases in some case going from £3.69 a week to a whopping £11.75. The charges are set to rise next year to £13.

Over 1000 Council tenants are affected, many of them elderly and vulnerable, such as those in sheltered housing accommodation and what a time to do it, just a few weeks before Christmas, when all of us are feeling the pinch in buying goods and presents for the festive period.

Nobody doubts that the cost of energy has risen over the last 24 months, my own bills have doubled in this time, however British Gas had the decently to write and tell me every other month or so to say it was going up and adjusted my bill. They did not save it all up to a month before Christmas and hit me with the lot in one go.

Running a Council has often been described like running a big business; after all it turns over almost £1 Billion a year. All I can say, is if this is the way the Tories wish to run Havering Council, I would not trust them to run a bath and a cold one at that as we cant afford the heating bills.

To cape the whole sorry tale, Senior Housing officers sent a briefing note to only the Conservative Councillors on Havering Council and the three Tory M.P.s. This was a shameful act, weather intentional or misguided, the Residents Group on Havering Council feel this was done to suppress the opposition and try and keep the whole thing a secret.