“I can’t defend the indefensible” – that’s what Southwark’s acting housing boss said last week at Southwark’s scrutiny committee.
At that meeting I heard residents of Canada Estate detail the years of mismanagement that led to a redevelopment project ending up 17 months over schedule and £1.7m over budget.
I was absolutely shocked at the complete contempt displayed by the council towards the people on the estate, consistently failing to respond and even providing entirely false information regarding the need for new windows.
Southwark is London’s largest social landlord – this is no way to treat tenants. The acting housing boss had no option but to apologise.
At this point we are all fully aware that Southwark’s housing department is in deep crisis.
Lacking coherent leadership and increasingly mired in scandals and maladministration while receiving the third most housing complaints in the country – all confirmed by repeated Housing Ombudsman reports and interventions.
It is also plain to see that it is our housing estates and council tenants bearing the brunt of this crisis.
Just months before the Canada Estate scandal, it was the Kirby Estate. Residents there had to fight for years after Southwark’s botched major works project left every single home with damp and mould.
Kirby Estate residents blame new windows for mould growth ‘in almost every home’
Only after those residents directly called out the Labour leadership at council assembly in July did officers commit to undertaking an inspection.
Last month the residents of Styles House had the rug pulled out from under them when Southwark abruptly cancelled the construction of 25 new council homes – only after wasting £3.5million of public money to demolish 8 council homes and destroy their gardens.
Residents face living next to unfinished building site as planned homes scrapped
Southwark Council had only built 1 council home in Borough & Bankside since 2010. Now, with those 8 homes gone, my ward has at least 7 fewer council homes than when Labour came to power.
Now Styles House residents face living next to a building site indefinitely since council Bosses have already admitted they don’t have the redesign the plans and deliver the homes.
Flats in the Aylesbury are pest-ridden, some barely fit for human habitation, but the council seems dedicated to doing nothing to improve it. Some residents have waited 10 years for the Council to deal with mice and cockroach infestations.
Labour has learned nothing from their appalling handling of the Maydew House saga and even that hasn’t been fully resolved.
The Council needs to ensure our estates can be thriving hubs around which communities are built as they have been in the past.
Yet Labour have let them degrade into disrepair and treat anyone trying to demand better with utter disdain. There are thousands of new unaffordable homes in Southwark but there are even more existing residents who are being neglected on our estates.
Residents should not have to be coming to committees and assemblies to have their voices heard. It is a symptom of serious problems with our leadership and our housing department.
My Liberal Democrat group is having to fight for people on estates all over Southwark because the Labour members, who loudly claim to have their interests at heart, have ignored their complaints for far too long. If you’ve got a housing nightmare please let me know: victor.chamberlain@southwark.gov.uk
Last week I called for Southwark to undertake a root and branch review of housing before Southwark residents lose all faith in their ability to provide good quality homes. At the moment it simply doesn’t seem fit for purpose.