Norwich City Council slammed by Housing Ombudsman

Greens propose new measures to counter severe mismanagement

Green councillors are proposing improvements to how residents contact the council in a wide-ranging motion to Norwich City Council’s full council meeting on 30th January 2024. The proposals also address serious issues in the council’s service to its social housing tenants.

In October 2023, the Housing Ombudsman named Norwich City Council as one of the worst social landlords in the country, with the council being found to be at fault in 100% of findings made in 2022-23.

And, in December 2023, the Housing Ombudsman were forced to make yet another ruling of severe maladministration against Norwich City Council, when a resident was hospitalised after repeated complaints about damp and mould which went without action from the council for nearly three years.

This damning report found that the council was failing in its duty to carry out basic damp and mould inspections, alongside failing to communicate with residents, not investigating complaints, and other major problems. The ombudsman ordered the council to pay out £1800 in compensation, and senior management at the council to apologise to the tenant. Reviews of council policies have also been ordered in response to this.

To ensure action is taken, Green councillors are proposing a list of measures to improve contact with the council and to try and prevent this record of maladministration. These measures include reopening the customer contact centre so that people can walk into City Hall and access services, simplifying letters from the council, allowing tenants to schedule their own repairs and ensuring that the council cannot close repairs cases when work has not been completed, or is not up to standard.

Cllr Alex Catt, Deputy Leader of the Green group at City Hall said: “Council tenants in my ward feel that they have been lied to by the council while fighting for basic housing repairs needed for their own health and safety. We need urgent action to improve the council’s communication with tenants so that people are not left in the dark when trying to get damp, mould or leaking roofs repaired. I hope that councillors of all parties will heed the warnings of the Housing Ombudsman and back the measures continued in this motion. “

Cllr Ash Haynes, Green Party councillor for Thorpe Hamlet said: “We absolutely cannot allow this situation to continue. We’ve highlighted simple, cost-effective measures the council can take to improve how it communicates with residents, saving time and money as well as bringing the service we provide back up to an acceptable level. If we delay fixing this, our tenants and residents will suffer.”

Notes:

Housing Ombudsman list of landlords with high maladministration rates 22-23: Landlords with high maladministration rates 22-23 – Housing Ombudsman (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)
Housing Ombudsman landlord report 22-23: Norwich City Council: Landlord-Report-Norwich-City-Council.pdf (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)
Housing Ombudsman complaint ruling 202234907 for the case described above: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RJFox3_kbtXvfUlGBWvHEdjN_F7axt_L/view?usp=sharing
Contacting the council and preventing maladministration motion to Norwich City Council, 30th January 2024: Document.ashx (norwich.gov.uk)