Industry news Editor’s comment


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In the headlines for the wrong reasons


Patrick Mooney, News Editor


Housing has rarely been out of the headlines since the terrible tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire back in June. And yet here we are some five months later with little progress made in several hugely important linked issues. Firstly the judge-led inquiry has not got off to the best of starts, with the victims, their families and others badly affected


by the fire feeling left out of the process and powerless to influence its direction and purpose. Judge Moore-Bick opened the inquiry in opulent surroundings in central London and then promptly adjourned it before any appeals could be made directly to him. Most of the people who survived the fire have yet to receive an acceptable offer of re-housing from Kensington & Chelsea


Council despite all of the promises made to them in the days and weeks that followed. Some of them are actually in the official figures for homelessness, which are showing record numbers of children staying in B&B hotels and temporary accommodation.


SUSPICIONS Thousands of tenants in high-rise tower blocks across the country have been left worried about their safety as tests were carried out on the flammability of the cladding around their homes. Panels that were meant to improve the insulation and fuel efficiency of their flats, are now being eyed suspiciously as a potential risk to their very lives. The social housing sector has been shaken to its core with many openly questioning how such a terrible event could


happen and thanking providence that it didn’t happen to them. They have also said that the Grenfell tragedy must never happen again. Social landlords have talked to their tenants and got the message back loud and clear that the dangerous cladding needs to be replaced and sprinkler systems installed, or retrofitted as the experts describe the works.


SPRINKLERS AND UC Unbelievably the Ministers who were urging landlords to make tower blocks safe, are now saying that the fitting of sprinklers is not essential work and it’s at their discretion - therefore the landlord is deemed responsible for these works, rather than the Government. This is a particularly crass decision when seen alongside plans to include sprinklers within the multi-million pound refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster. For insensitivity it sits alongside the decision of work & pensions secretary David Gauke to refuse requests for a brief


pause in the planned rollout of Universal Credit, so that the many reported problems and complaints can be properly investigated. Burying your head in the sand is rarely a good ploy, especially when faced with a barrage of well-evidenced requests, unless your objective is to imitate a pantomine villain, like Scrooge. Ignoring pleas from her backbenchers, Theresa May has decided to retain the six-week delay before payments are made.


The official view is the availability of advance payments makes any changes unnecessary, even though only half of claimants appear to know of them and the money is still paid as a loan that has to be repaid. Sadly it could be a bleak Christmas for many this year.


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Patrick Mooney


HOUSING MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE


11.17


Party conference pledges


Funding row over sprinklers


Universal credit controversy


The November issue of Housing Management & Maintenance features energiesprong demonstrator apartments in Groningen © Rogier Bos


Nottingham’s revolutionary


approach Ten homes selected as part of a UK pilot aiming to save and generate energy making residents ultra low energy consumers


The apartments, refurbished by Dura Vermeer, exemplify a new housing refurbishment approach implementented in Nottingham and managed by Nottingham City Homes (NCH) and the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO)


On the cover...


4 | HMM November 2017 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


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