My plans to drive forward housing improvements with the adoption of a Residents’ Charter and a new, improved repairs service – both developed in partnership with tenants – were approved at cabinet this week.
Tenants boroughwide will be consulted on the Residents’ Charter, which sets out clear expectations on how the council will treat all tenants; with respect, timely responses to complaints and the provision of safe homes that they are proud to live in.
Consultation on the Charter will give residents the opportunity to provide their comments on the draft as well as how it can be delivered and monitored. An update on the Charter’s development and planned implementation is expected to come back to cabinet in the autumn.
Adopting the Charter was a key manifesto pledge. The draft charter has been developed by a group of tenants and leaseholders, endorsed by the Tenant and Leaseholders Panel, and recommended by the independent Housing Improvement Board.
In cabinet I also agreed on proposals for the procurement of a new and improved housing repairs service for tenants. Recommendations, developed in line with resident feedback, included bringing the repairs contact centre in-house so that the council has a more direct relationship with tenants and can respond swiftly to any complaints, and splitting the service into a number of contracts to reduce dependence on one contractor.
I was pleased that Scrutiny had the opportunity to look at the proposals in advance of the cabinet discussion and will respond to their recommendations at a future cabinet meeting.
I want to see real change in our housing services. Croydon urgently needs to rebuild trust and establish a proper relationship with our tenants. This will only happen once we provide them with a decent service and treat them with respect, and the Charter lays strong foundations for doing this.
Procuring a new repairs service is one of the first big projects in which we can put the Charter into practice and work with our tenants and leaseholders to make this essential service better. I would like to thank those who have helped draft the Charter so far and encourage all our tenants and leaseholders to get involved in the consultation when it launches.
