London borough self refers to Regulator of Social Housing

Lewisham Council last month self-referred to the Regulator of Social Housing for a potential breach of its Consumer Standards.

The move came just two months after the London borough took over responsibility for managing and maintaining more than 13,500 homes, following the transfer of staff and services from Lewisham Homes.

Lewisham said it was specifically asking the Regulator to examine whether decent homes were being provided, an efficient repairs service was being run, and fire safety actions were being completed within acceptable timescales.

The London borough said the aim of bringing the management of housing back in-house was to improve services for residents by providing a more efficient service, linking housing and other council services that residents rely on.

“We want to start this new era with openness and transparency so that our residents are aware of our challenges and what we are doing to overcome them.”

Lewisham said that, having reviewed housing services, it had established that “although many of the homes we manage are in good condition, some are not. We are also aware that our repairs service is too often difficult to access, and many of our residents are not satisfied with the level of service they receive”.

The council added that, since taking over from Lewisham Homes in October, it had already taken steps to improve services and would be publishing detailed action plans so that tenants and leaseholders could understand how the council plans to continue to transform services.

“There have been persistent issues with some of our buildings under scrutiny,” it added.

“Many of our homes were built over 50 years ago and need substantial investment at a time when local councils – and other housing providers – are facing serious financial challenges.”

Through its capital programme, Lewisham has committed to £321m of investment in the stock over five years. Alongside this, it is making major investments to modernise systems for managing and storing information.