Latest news with #RichardBlakeway
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on social housing: invest boldly to tackle ‘simmering anger' about substandard homes
The most obvious social housing problem in Britain is the lack of it. The failure to build enough homes to keep up with need, and replace those sold off under the right-to-buy scheme, has adversely affected millions of lives. In parts of England, the wait for family-size homes has reached 100 years, with long waiting lists also in Scotland and Wales. Charities rightly call this a national scandal. While the slowdown dates back decades, the 60% cut in the affordable housing budget in 2010 made the situation far worse. The resulting shortages mean millions of people are stuck in privately rented accommodation with no prospect of buying their own. Hundreds of thousands of others are officially homeless, and trapped in overcrowded temporary flats and rooms. But another problem has now crept up on this one. With complaints from tenants about repairs soaring, the social housing sector is increasingly failing people with homes as well as those without them. The housing ombudsman for England, Richard Blakeway, warned this week that 'simmering anger' about substandard living conditions, including mould and damp, could boil over. This is a crucial moment for housing campaigners and concerned professionals such as Mr Blakeway. In less than two weeks, the chancellor's spending review will set out how much money the government will commit to spend on housing between now and 2029. The £2bn announced so far is regarded as a downpayment, enough for 18,000 homes. Billions more will be needed if affordable homes are to be a substantial portion of the government's 1.5m target. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, is widely understood to be dissatisfied with the Treasury's offer so far. She is right to insist that social housing is prioritised. This means capital budgets, but also funding for temporary accommodation, repairs and improvements, including those that reduce emissions and bills. For too long, social housing failures have been dismissed as second-tier concerns, largely because the tenure is for people on lower incomes. British homeowners and landlords have reaped huge advantages in recent years on the back of rising prices. The renters' rights bill began a process of rebalancing housing policy towards those without property assets. Now ministers must go further and show that they recognise access to affordable housing as a fundamental entitlement. Other changes besides budget increases are already in progress. Social tenants should soon see the benefit of rules making housing associations more professional and accountable. Specialist qualifications will be rolled out, and providers will for the first time be subject to freedom of information laws. From October, Awaab's law – primarily focused on England – imposes a 24-hour deadline for emergency repairs. Longer-term rent settlements will help housing providers, which do not all deserve to be painted as villains. There have been grave failures, none more appalling than the fire at Grenfell Tower in London, but many of the problems are systemic rather than the fault of particular people or organisations. Again and again, polls show how highly healthcare is valued by voters. But housing and health are closely connected. When the government announces its spending plans, it should spell this out to voters. Ensuring that everyone has a safe, suitable and affordable home is a crucial step on the road to national recovery. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Social housing complaints soar as watchdog warns of 'simmering anger'
Complaints about substandard living conditions in social housing in England are more than five times higher than five years ago, according to the housing watchdog. Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said there was an "imbalance of power" in the tenant-landlord relationship and "simmering anger at poor housing conditions risked becoming social disquiet". He warned without change England risked the "managed decline" of social housing. Asbestos, electrical and fire safety issues, pest control and leaks, damp and mould are among the complaints, the watchdog receives. In its latest report, the Housing Ombudsman, which deals with disputes between residents and social housing landlords in England, said that the general condition of social housing - combined with the length of time it takes for repairs to be done - is leading to a breakdown in trust. "You've got ageing homes and social housing, you've got rising costs around materials, for example, and you've got skills shortages," said Mr Blakeway, who spoke to the BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "You put all that together and you end up with a perfect storm and that's what's presenting in our case work. That is not sustainable." He said tenants have "little say in the services they receive, however poor they are" and that this is leading to "growing frustration". While he acknowledged that social landlords are putting in "record amounts" for repairs and maintenance - £9bn between 2023 and 2024 - there had been historic underfunding in social housing. He also said that while landlords have faced "funding uncertainties", they needed to address their communication with tenants that sometimes "lacks dignity and respect". According to the ombudsman's report, there were 6,380 complaints investigated in the year to March 2025 - up from 1,111 in the year to March 2020. Referring to English Housing Survey estimates, it also found that an estimated 1.5 million children in England live in a non-decent home in 2023, and 19% of those live in social housing. The Housing Ombudsman is calling for a "transformative overhaul" of the current system, including an independent review of funding practices and the establishment of a "national tenant body" to "strengthen tenant voice and landlord accountability". That would be separate to the ombudsman, which has the power to order a landlord to apologise, carry out works or pay financial compensation. "The human cost of poor living conditions is evident, with long-term impacts on community cohesion, educational attainment, public health, and economic productivity," said Mr Blakeway. "Without change we effectively risk the managed decline of one of the largest provisions of social housing in Europe, especially in areas of lowest affordability. "It also risks the simmering anger at poor housing conditions becoming social disquiet." This is "neither fanciful nor alarmist", he said, adding that tenant activism formed its roots decades ago in the 1960s, and referencing the ongoing "shock" over the Grenfell Tower fire and the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in recent years. The 2017 tower block blaze which killed 72 people, and the death of Awaab in 2020, caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home, have put the spotlight on housing standards and safety. Housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa told the BBC that he was "shocked but not surprised" by the ombudsman's report. He pointed out that for complaints to reach the ombudsman, tenants will have to formally raised the issue with the landlord. Mr Tweneboa said social housing residents he has spoken to say they feel they are not listened to and that the culture within housing organisations "just isn't right". "They feel they are just a rental figure at the end of each month." "In some cases, residents are left to suffer for years," Mr Tweneboa says, adding that he knows of instances in which families with children have to "defecate in bin bags, urinate in bottles because they've been without a toilet for months". The National Housing Federation, which represents England's housing associations, said quality and safety of homes was their "top priority", and the sector was spending record sums on repairs and maintenance. Chief executive Kate Henderson said: "Crippling cuts to social housing over many years have exacerbated quality issues, as the ombudsman recognises, and only an increase in funding can address this over the long-term." Overcrowding is a "significant contributor" to issues such as damp and mould, she added. In a statement, a Ministry of Housing spokesperson said: "Everyone deserves to live in a safe, secure home and despite the situation we have inherited, we are taking decisive action to make this a reality." "We will clamp down on damp, mould and other hazards in social homes by bringing in Awaab's Law for the social rented sector from October, while we will also introduce a competence and conduct standard for the social rented sector to ensure staff have the right skills, knowledge and experience to do their jobs effectively." Plans to tackle IOM's key housing issues unveiled Rat infestation is blighting area, say residents We're treated like peasants, say tenants in fight over mouldy homes
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Social housing complaints soar and housing watchdog warns of 'simmering anger'
Complaints about substandard living conditions in social housing in England are more than five times higher than five years ago, according to the housing watchdog. Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway told the BBC an "imbalance of power" in the tenant-landlord relationship was leading to "simmering anger" among those living in social warned without change England risked the "managed decline" of social housing. Asbestos, electrical and fire safety issues, pest control and leaks, damp and mould are among the complaints, the watchdog receives . In its latest report, the Housing Ombudsman, which deals with disputes between residents and social housing landlords in England, said that the general condition of social housing - combined with the length of time it takes for repairs to be done - is leading to a breakdown in trust. "You've got ageing homes and social housing, you've got rising costs around materials, for example, and you've got skills shortages," said Mr Blakeway, who spoke to the BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "You put all that together and you end up with a perfect storm and that's what's presenting in our case work. That is not sustainable."He said tenants have "little say in the services they receive, however poor they are" and that this is leading to "growing frustration". While he acknowledged that social landlords are putting in "record amounts" for repairs and maintenance - £9bn between 2023 and 2024 - there had been historic underfunding in social housing. He also said that while landlords have faced "funding uncertainties", they needed to address their communication with tenants that sometimes "lacks dignity and respect". According to the ombudsman's report, there were 6,380 complaints investigated in the year to March 2025 - up from 1,111 in the year to March also found that an estimated 1.5 million children in England live in a non-decent home in 2023, and 19% of those live in social is calling for a "transformative overhaul" of the current system, including an independent review of funding practices and the establishment of a "national tenant body" to "strengthen tenant voice and landlord accountability". That would be separate to the ombudsman, which has the power to order a landlord to apologise, carry out works or pay financial compensation."The human cost of poor living conditions is evident, with long-term impacts on community cohesion, educational attainment, public health, and economic productivity," said Mr Blakeway."Without change we effectively risk the managed decline of one of the largest provisions of social housing in Europe, especially in areas of lowest affordability."It also risks the simmering anger at poor housing conditions becoming social disquiet." Housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa told the BBC that he was "shocked but not surprised" by the ombudsman's pointed out that for complaints to reach the ombudsman, tenants will have to formally raised the issue with the landlord. Mr Tweneboa said social housing residents he has spoken to say they feel they are not listened to and that the culture within housing organisations "just isn't right". "They feel they are just a rental figure at the end of each month.""In some cases, residents are left to suffer for years," Mr Tweneboa says, adding that he knows of instances in which families with children have to "defecate in bin bags, urinate in bottles because they've been without a toilet for months". In a statement, a Ministry of Housing spokesperson said: "Everyone deserves to live in a safe, secure home and despite the situation we have inherited, we are taking decisive action to make this a reality.""We will clamp down on damp, mould and other hazards in social homes by bringing in Awaab's Law for the social rented sector from October, while we will also introduce a competence and conduct standard for the social rented sector to ensure staff have the right skills, knowledge and experience to do their jobs effectively."
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Housing ombudsman for England warns of ‘simmering anger' over living conditions
The housing ombudsman has warned 'simmering anger at poor housing conditions' could boil over into social tension as his office recorded a 474% increase in complaints about substandard living conditions since 2019/20. Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman for England, said repairs were now the single biggest driver of complaints his office deals with, accounting for 45% of its workload. 'Without change we effectively risk the managed decline of one of the largest provisions of social housing in Europe,' he said. 'To replace these homes would take more than 60 years at recent building rates.' He said it was 'neither fanciful nor alarmist' to suggest the growing anger at housing conditions could become 'social disquiet', saying the 'shock of Grenfell Tower and Awaab Ishak's death resonate still'. 'I travel across the country to different public meetings and there is a sense of people feeling invisible, of voices not being heard, their issues not being taken seriously, a lack of respect and dignity in the way in which residents have been treated. It is leading to a really serious fracturing of trust, which in some cases is irreparable,' he said. In a new report on social housing repairs and maintenance, the Housing Ombudsman Service reported a 474% increase in complaints about substandard living conditions between 2019/20 and 2024/25, with 72% identified as stemming from poor practice. Despite social landlords spending a record £9bn on repairs and maintenance in 2023/24, the ombudsman – which resolves disputes between residents and social landlords – ordered £3.4m in compensation for poor living conditions in 2024/25. 'We've seen an unprecedented increase in complaints, which far exceeds the rising complaints in other sectors. What we're seeing is exponential in comparison to other ombudsmen,' Blakeway said. The report is based on a review of hundreds of cases and more than 3,000 responses to a call for evidence. It features dozens of examples of bad practice, including a child's bedroom window being boarded up for four years rather than replaced and collapsed ceilings containing asbestos left unrepaired for two years. Ageing, poor-quality housing stock and the rising cost and complexity of repairs were two of the key drivers behind the rise in complaints. Almost half (45%) of social homes in England were built before 1964, and the percentage with damp and mould has risen from 4% in 2019 to 7% in 2023. Blakeway said policies had not kept pace with living standards, and called rules that say kitchens and bathrooms need only be replaced every 20 and 30 years respectively 'a statement absent of aspiration from the world's sixth wealthiest nation'. He added: 'The baseline set for the quality of social housing is completely detached from the reality of consumer experience elsewhere. It's completely inadequate in the 21st century.' The report found that landlords were 'effectively rationing repairs services', with one landlord's policy referring to doing some repairs only when 'resources are available' and others saying they would deal with emergencies only. It also found incidents of cases being closed before hazards were resolved because of 'unevidenced claims that the resident had denied access'. Blakeway called for a 'transformative overhaul' of the sector, including a national tenant body to strengthen the rights of residents and increase landlord accountability, as well as long-term funding for the sector. 'These homes are only getting older, so we need a fundamental rethink on how we do maintenance and the investment required to preserve the social housing legacy which previous generations have worked hard to build,' he said. He called the model for maintaining existing social homes 'unsustainable' and 'a significant risk to the government's vital housebuilding ambitions'. The government has announced plans to build 1.5m homes to tackle the country's housing crisis, but there are reports of internal disputes over the level of funding for social housing. Awaab's law, named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who was killed by mould in a social housing flat in Rochdale in 2020, is due to come into force from October, but the government has been criticised for delaying its full implementation to 2027. From October, social landlords in England will have 24 hours to make emergency repairs, including to damp and mould, but will have until 2027 to begin fixing other hazards immediately, including asbestos and contaminated water supplies. Blakeway called the law 'desperately needed' but still too reactive. 'It improves the response, but it doesn't prevent the issues,' he said. 'Where is our aspiration? Landlord systems just haven't modernised to move from a reactive approach to maintenance to a predictive approach, and that often creates long delays to repairs,' he added. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'Everyone deserves to live in a safe, secure home and despite the dire situation we have inherited, we are taking decisive action to make this a reality. 'We will clamp down on damp, mould and other hazards in social homes by bringing in Awaab's law for the social rented sector from October, while we will also introduce a competence and conduct standard for the social rented sector to ensure staff have the right skills, knowledge and experience to do their jobs effectively.'
