Gove criticism of housing record: Town Hall says it’s ‘deeply sorry’
Levelling Up secretary said he was ‘incredibly disappointed’ with council
Friday, 9th February 2024 — By Charlotte Chambers
Michael Gove and Victoria Lawson [Official Cabinet Portrait_CC BY 2.0]
TOWN Hall chiefs say they are responding as best they can following criticism from the government of “severe maladministration”.
Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove wrote to Islington Council last October saying he was “incredibly disappointed to read that your severe maladministration rate is four times the national average”, adding: “This is unacceptable.”
Mr Gove, whose government has been responsible for overseeing the biggest cuts to local government funding in history, went on to criticise “unreasonable delays” to repairs and “poor communication with your residents” about problems with their homes.
He criticised Islington for “failing to identify underlying issues” behind the problems with its housing stock and accused it of applying a sticking plaster without addressing the root of the problem.
He said Islington had taken a “superficial” approach to solving damp and mould issues and claimed it had been guilty of “failing to follow your own policies and procedures” when resolving issues.
As a result, “residents suffered prolonged periods of distress”, he concluded.
Mr Gove asked to meet with chief executive Victoria Lawson and told her he would be “taking a personal interest” in Islington’s road to recovery.
Praising the borough for being transparent with his department, he added: “You have begun to address some of the issues raised but there is still significant work to be done to improve the service you deliver to your residents.”
An Islington spokesperson said Ms Lawson was yet to meet Mr Gove but was “in contact” with his department to “arrange the meeting”.
Councillor Una O’Halloran, Islington’s housing boss, said: “Our tenants and leaseholders deserve a high-quality service, and we’re deeply sorry that we haven’t always delivered this in the past.”
As part of an overhaul to improve services, she promised residents would have a single point of contact while staff would “take ownership of their patch”.
“Crucially, we are also establishing a Resident Service Improvement Group to make sure residents’ voices are at the heart of this work,” she added.
