Cllr Christine Simpson

After reports from residents that necessary repairs and work on the some of the City’s council housing has stopped, the Labour Group is questioning whether the money budgeted for improving housing across the City has run out.
 
In a letter from the Labour spokesperson for Housing, Cllr Christine Simpson to the Councillor in charge of Housing for the City, Maria Caulfied asking for the Housing Revenue Accounts of the Council to be scrutinised.
 
Cllr Christine Simpson said,
“My councillor colleagues and I are getting a number of complaints from residents about previously agreed repairs to their homes that are now being delayed until the start of the next financial year in April 2010.  It is alleged that the council’s repairs contractors have already been warned that budgets have run out.  It is important that councillors get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what the situation is and where the money has gone.”
 
The request for the review of the housing accounts will be decided on October 22 at the meeting of the Adult, Social Care and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
 
The letter from Cllr Christine Simpson states:
“I am writing to ask that a request be put to the Adult Social Care and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, or the Overview and Scrutiny Commission to examine, as a matter of urgency, the financial position of the Housing Revenue Account and the impact on responsive repairs, voids, emergency repairs and Decent Homes work.
 
"It is alarming to hear that some budgets in these areas have been spent to a point where work for the rest of the financial year will be curtailed. I feel that the council needs to understand how this position has been reached half way through the financial year and why the situation has been concealed from councillors and our council tenants.
 
"Councillors’ casework is beginning to show that promised repairs are being put off until after April 2010 and tenants have even been told that no more Health and Safety works will be carried out at this time. The Scrutiny Review or Panel should also look at what should be done to recover from this position.”

A council spokesperson said:
"Contrary to reports that the council’s repairs and maintenance fund has almost run out, we can confirm that there is almost £14 million left to spend out of an increased budget this year of £31 million.
 
"Between this April and next April we are installing 3,200 new front doors, decorating the outsides of more than 200 properties and fitting hundreds of new bathrooms and kitchens into tenants’ homes.
 
Councillor Maria Caulfield, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:
“Our repairs and maintenance fund is healthy and we are working with our contractors to ensure it’s spent in the most effective way to improve as many homes as possible. All our emergency, urgent and essential work is being carried out as normal and we will make more than 20,000 repairs this year.
 
“We are spending more money on repairs and improvements this year than last, with residents’ homes seeing £31 million of work compared to the previous years’ £27.5 million. However, under the current rules we make a net loss on rental income because it’s diverted to central government and this contributes to a need to ensure our managers prioritise repairs.
 
“This means that those repairs not considered a priority can be programmed into the planned maintenance programme which is more cost effective and saves money that can then be recycled back into repairing and improving residents’ homes.”
 
For more information about Labour view:
www.brightonhovelabour.com