Improving Our Housing Services

In support of the ongoing drive to improve housing services for residents, immediate changes have been made to the Council’s departmental structure in recognition that more rapid improvements are needed.

A Corporate Housing Improvement Programme (CHIP) programme, set up in April to deliver a step change in the delivery of housing services, has identified the need to inject capacity and focus at a senior level to drive and lead the positive change. As such, from Monday 26 June, the Housing Department has moved out of the Growth, Planning and Housing Directorate into a new Housing and Commercial Partnerships Directorate.  

The improvement in housing is a priority for the Council and has the support and involvement of the entire Cabinet and Executive Leadership Team. The hard work and dedication of staff across the housing service is recognised, and the focus will be on enabling all relevant teams to deliver the best possible services to residents and communities.  The experience and feedback received from residents and staff will be central to the improvement journey.  

Cllr Adam Hug, Leader of the Council, said,

“It is clear that for too long the housing services our residents have often been receiving have not been as good as they need to be. Whilst we recognise the dedication and commitment of so many of our housing staff, the reforms we are making at a senior level, including bringing extra capacity to deliver systemic change, will help ensure sure they have the support needed to drive the improvements that everyone wants to see.  

“It has also become clear that the benefits that were intended from bringing CityWest Homes in house have not been fully realised. This is a key reason why we are taking concerted action to ensure we can deliver better housing services. We’re committed to making sure the resident voice is at the heart of our decision making and housing is no different. We’ve set out in our Fairer Westminster strategy with a goal to increase affordable housing and that we make sure our tenants and lessees are satisfied with the service they receive.  

“We’ve started to deliver real change, for example by beginning to reopen Estate Offices, increasing investment in tackling damp and mould, providing extra support for residents in financial hardship through our £1m rent support fund and much more. But we know we still have a long way to go until the service fully matches the aspirations we have for our residents. The changes in our structures we have made this week should enable us to get to that point that more effectively and quickly.” 

The new Housing and Commercial Partnerships Directorate will be led by Strategic Director Sarah Warman. Sarah is the current Director of Commercial Partnerships and has been leading the Corporate Housing Improvement Programme (CHIP) work.

The Council’s ambitions for housing is set out in the Fairer Westminster Strategy and Delivery Plan under the Fairer Housing theme. The following has already been achieved in the past 12 months in terms of housing services and housing delivery:- 

 

• Westminster City Council’s Cabinet recently adopted 31 wide-ranging recommendations from the Westminster Commission’s Housing Review. Suggestions include property MOTs for vulnerable residents, a tenants’ charter and a stricter definition of affordable housing. The council also committed to looking at how to better support those experiencing homelessness and those sleeping rough in central London.  

 

• As part of its commitment to improving housing services for residents, earlier this month the council opened the first of four new Housing Service Centres at the Mozart Estate. Three further facilities will be rolled out in Pimlico, Bayswater and Soho in the coming months, to give residents better face-to-face contact with housing staff.  

 

• We have a new Empty Property Officer who has been working on relevant parts of the Interim Empty Property Strategy Statement, including setting up a reporting tool on the council website for residents to report empty homes.  

 

• We have championed Community Thursday walkabouts on our housing estates, to find out what issues residents are facing directly.  

 

• We’re working with our repairs contractor to improve the service our tenants receive – part of our continuous journey of improvement. We’ve introduced a new engagement process so we can better understand our tenants’ and leaseholders’ wants and concerns.  

 

• We have invested in specialist ventilation systems and air quality sensor installations to tackle mould and condensation in social homes. As part of this, we’re investing in additional Stock Condition Surveys.  

 

• We’ve also launched an information campaign to encourage council tenants suffering from any mould or damp issues to let us know.  

 

• We set aside £1m to support council tenants not entitled to Universal Credit or Housing Benefit who may need support with paying their rent. 

 

• We’ve worked closely with the local community in and around Church Street on development proposals that have has now received formal planning permission to proceed with the delivery of 1,200 new homes, with over half of these as affordable tenure. This milestone also unlocks the potential for £29m of GLA funding once construction starts.  

 

• We worked closely with the local community at Ebury Bridge where the development scheme received a successful resident ballot outcome with 91% of residents voting in favour, across a turnout of 67%. This unlocks GLA funding of £41m.  

 

• We’ve completed infills projects across the city in Maida Vale, Regent's Park and Church Street, providing brand new family-sized council homes for social rent. The Lisson Arches project will initially provide modern supported living accommodation for elderly residents living in Penn House. Once fully occupied, 59 older Westminster residents will benefit from the scheme.  

 

• We’ve started construction at the Churchill Gardens, Torridon House and Carlton Dene and Westmead development sites. This means that the projects have successfully met the GLA’s funding deadline, and that over £23m grant funding has been claimed and received.  

 

• We celebrated the topping out of 300 Harrow Road, which will see 112 new truly affordable homes created, a mix of council homes for social and intermediate rent. 

 

• We announced that the building of low-cost social rent homes across Westminster is our priority. Since then, more than 300 social rent homes have been added to Westminster’s housebuilding programme.  

 

• We’re acquiring hundreds of temporary accommodation properties with an additional investment of £85m. On top of the existing budget, it means we have now allocated nearly £170m to acquire temporary housing – the largest ever single investment to help those waiting for a home to meet their needs. The investment is expected to provide 270 additional properties in or near the borough over the next three years.  

 

• We completed construction on the Luton Street development as part of our Church Street Regeneration programme. The area includes new affordable housing, a leisure centre, and the first section of the ‘green spine’, a pedestrianised route connecting Church Street and Marylebone.