Croydon’s Executive Mayor is set to deliver on his pledge to adopt a Residents’ Charter for council tenants, while driving forward plans for a new and improved housing repairs service.
The Residents’ Charter sets out clear expectations that the council will treat all tenants with respect, respond quickly to their complaints, involve them in decisions and provide them with safe homes they are proud to live in.
The Charter was developed by a group of tenants and leaseholders, endorsed by the Tenant and Leaseholders Panel, and recommended for adoption by the independent Housing Improvement Board. It was a key manifesto commitment for Mayor Perry, to ensure residents are at the heart of decisions about their housing services. If approved at Cabinet on Wednesday 22 June 2022, tenants boroughwide will be consulted on the charter before it is finalised.
Mayor Perry and his cabinet are also preparing to consider next steps for a new and improved housing repair service for Croydon, working closely with tenants and leaseholders.
The council’s contract with Axis comes to an end in July 2023, and residents across the borough have been involved in shaping the brief for a new provider, giving their views through telephone and face-to-face surveys, as well as resident workshops.
In Cabinet Mayor Perry will consider proposals including 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.
Plans also include splitting the service into more contracts to encourage local businesses to apply and create jobs for local people. Tenants would also be involved in selecting the provider and reviewing the contract.
In line with his commitment to greater transparency, given the importance of the housing repairs contract, the Mayor asked the Scrutiny and Overview Committee to prioritise the issue for pre-decision scrutiny earlier this week to ensure the recommendations to Cabinet were appropriately reviewed and challenged.
“Having listened to our tenants and leaseholders, I want to bring new energy and increased pace to the council’s housing improvement programme.
The Residents’ Charter sets out clear expectations around the kind of service I want our tenants to receive – ultimately to have homes they are proud to live in and to be treated with respect. This is an important first step to ensuring tenants and leaseholders receive a proper service from Croydon.
“At the same time, the procurement of a new housing repairs contract is a real opportunity to make this service more responsive and better for everyone that uses it, with robust systems for monitoring performance. I look forward to continuing to work with residents to drive this forward.
“There is much to do and the voices and views of our residents will continue to be so important throughout our improvement drive. I am absolutely committed to listening to them and involving them at every opportunity, as we develop our plans for the future and as we scrutinise and monitor the housing services Croydon provides.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
