Joint statement from the Leader and Chief Executive – housing services

Haringey Council Leader Cllr Peray Ahmet and Chief Executive Andy Donald have issued a joint statement on the action being taken to deliver significant improvements to housing services.  

The safety and well-being of our residents will always be our number one priority and we understand that a warm, safe and well-maintained home is a foundation that every individual and family should be able to expect.  

In December 2021, the council took the decision to bring housing management back under the direct control of the council. This decision was motivated by a commitment to improve accountability and residents' experience by building more joined-up services. It was a decision that was strongly supported by our tenants.  

Last summer, once the transfer had been completed, we commissioned two independent reviews of the housing function. These reports did highlight some areas of strength, however, they also revealed a number of areas where the housing service being provided to our tenants and leaseholders was well below our expected standard. This included potential weaknesses against the Regulator's consumer standards in some areas of property compliance. 

In addition, the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale has shone a light on the risks posed by serious damp and mould. As a result of this, and concerns raised by the Housing Ombudsman, we have begun significant work to understand and deal with this issue.  

As the full picture has become clear, we have taken a series of actions that we believe are necessary to deliver significant improvements. These include:

• The creation of a new cross-party, Housing Improvement Board, which is chaired by the Chief Executive and met for the first time last night
• The development of a Housing Improvement Plan which will be brought for approval to a public meeting of our Cabinet within weeks
• The development of a new damp and mould policy and a robust action plan to identify cases of damp and mould in our homes and deal with them quickly and effectively
• Taking the decision as Leader and Chief Executive to refer the council to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). This is an action that other local authorities have taken and is a way of bringing important independent oversight and transparency about the need for change

We want to take the opportunity to apologise to our tenants and leaseholders. We are fully committed to significant improvements, and we know we must get this right as soon as possible.

We will be closely tracking progress and there will be no stone left unturned as we look to provide the service our tenants and leaseholders deserve.