Mayor Jason Perry promised to reset the relationship with council tenants and leaseholders and put their needs at the core of improving Croydon’s housing services, whilst visiting Regina Road estate this week.
During his visit he promised to work closely with all tenants and leaseholders to deliver improved services, changing the culture to one of respect and collaboration.
Mayor Perry promised to introduce urgency and clear timescales into Croydon’s ongoing housing improvement work and rebuild trust with residents.
Meeting tenants who had recent repairs carried out in their homes Mayor Perry heard about their experiences of reporting issues to the council and promised more visits to hear their concerns directly.
Since appalling conditions at Regina Road were first exposed, the council has restructured its housing services and made urgent improvements.
Mayor Perry was also pleased to meet with Martin Wheatley, Chair of the Housing Improvement Board whilst onsite. It was agreed that there is still much more to do until tenants are receiving the services they need and deserve.
Mayor Perry’s plans include adopting a new Tenants’ Charter, developed in collaboration with residents and the Housing Improvement Board; with clear council commitment to listen to tenants and leaseholders, prioritise their needs, and set out the level of service they can expect in the future.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon said: “Past scenes at Regina Road were wholly unacceptable. The treatment of our housing tenants has brought shame on the borough and today’s visit showed the scale of progress that needs to be made. Changing our housing services and improving stock will take time to achieve, but we must double-down on our efforts and set out clear timescales for residents.
“Meeting with Regina Road residents has reinforced my intentions to radically transform how we listen to and treat our tenants, who should be at the heart of all our housing work. This is why I plan to work with tenant representatives to develop a Tenants Charter which sets out what they can expect from us as a landlord and how we will involve them in our housing services.
“Together with Deputy Mayor Councillor Lynne Hale, the Cabinet Member for Homes, I intend to continue to visit our estates with housing officers so tenants and leaseholders can share their concerns with us directly.”
