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Hounslow Homes - From Today's Richmond and Twickenham Times website

Extracts from article below:"Council Homes Manager enjoys 'outstanding' Year"Hounslow Homes celebrated a year of unparalleled success at its annual general meeting this week.Managing Director Chris Langstaff said the 2005/06 financial year was one of fantastic achievement.............Councillor Phil Andrews, Hounslow Council's lead member for housing and community safety, said:............."We welcome the annual report, which suggests consistent, sustained high performance in service and delivery"................Full story www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/newsAnyone still believe Hounslow Homes is under threat?

John Connelly ● 6806d23 Comments

Why so defensive Phil? I didn't say you were denying that there are problems.  I'm simply saying that this is generalised crap and it simply won't get at the fact that most of their tennants don't bother whinging because they are used to slow action being taken or precisely nothing ever being done about their problems.Its a bit like how the BBC considers 50 complaints about a programme to be serious as most people simply won't bother to do anything. Doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of people p*ssed off.

Conal Stewart ● 6785d

ConalNobody is saying there are not problems with the service.  Indeed I extended the scope of the Review, amid howls of protest from the "campaign" whose various members wanted the process to be ushered through with a nod and a wink (and later criticised me for a lack of consultation, I kid you not!), precisely so that I could identify some of these problems.  I emphasised at last night's Scrutiny Panel meeting that providing a generally good service is not a reason for overlooking individual failings.However I think it also fair to say that when only about 1% of customers attend meetings or write in to complain about a service when given the opportunity to do so, there are reasonable grounds to assume that the majority are satisfied.  This doesn't mean that the problems identified by the 1% should be ignored, but simply that a sense of perspective needs to applied.The issues which we did feel needed to be addressed were comparatively small and localised, however the ferocity and co-ordinated nature of the campaign to frankly try to bully us out of making the necessary changes has potentially much wider implications for future projects, because it has in my view revealed a deeper problem involving the nature of the relationship between client and service provider.I am determined that an appropriate relationship will be established, and it is this determination which appears to have incurred the wrath of "Kevin" and the campaign of which he/she speaks.

Phil Andrews ● 6785d

What a load of nonsense. I live in a former council property and i know exactly how my neighbours feel about Hounslow Homes.  None of it is printable.

Conal Stewart ● 6785d

KevinI didn't spot you at the meeting, were you hiding under the table?  And who is "we", exactly - are you from Hounslow Homes?  Or the Labour Party, or one of the other groups which you mention?  Kindly elaborate so that people following this discussion might be aware of where you are coming from, as they are in the cases of other posters.Please allow me to offer a few corrections to your analysis:1. I did not set up the Hounslow Homes Management Review.  This is a myth which continues to be propogated in the face of demonstrable facts, and is sadly typical of the dishonesty which has characterised the campaign against the new administration of which you speak.  The Review was actually inserted into the original Agreement when Hounslow Homes was set up under the previous Labour administration.2. Hounslow Homes is an Arms' Length Management Organisation wholly owned by the council, and as such does not and should not have a brief to pursue its own strategy and policies independently of the council.  The local authority is democratically elected by the residents of this borough and the administration has both a right and a duty to provide the strategic direction which it requires Hounslow Homes to follow.  The apparent lack of acceptance of this fundamental principle lies at the heart of most if not all of the disagreements which exist between the administration and your campaign.3. There is no question of blackmailing or bullying.  Hounslow Homes has ambitions to embark upon projects which will require the local authority to grant it a degree of autonomy and freedom which it has not enjoyed hitherto.  It is absurd for anybody to expect the new administration to do this without an appropriate level of trust and commonality of purpose being established between the two organisations.4. With regard to "forcing Hounslow Homes to adopt...ICG policys (sic) in housing", ICG policy is to ensure that all our tenants and residents are treated equally and fairly, and have an equal right to participate in the work of their associations.  It is regrettable that such an obviously reasonable objective should need to be "forced" on anybody, but that has been the task which I have had to take on and I can promise you that it will be pursued to a victorious conclusion notwithstanding the threats, such as your own, which it seems I must endure as a consequence of my efforts.

Phil Andrews ● 6785d

Hello Kevin,welcome to the forum with your maiden posting! I dont recall seeing your name in the attendence book last night so assume you have made your assumptions purely on hearsay and I wonder if you would like to clarify what you mean with your quote "blackmail and bully Hounslow Homes into submission"?Thank you

Paul Fisher ● 6785d

The new Tory leadership on Hounslow Council are trying to force Hounslow Homes to fit in with there own political agenda in running the council, this was clearly demonstrated last night at the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.Andrews took over as "Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety" as the price of his party's support for the Tory "coalition" and his first deed was to set up a destructive review of Hounslow Homes, the three star housing service provider set up by the old Labour leadership.Hounslow Homes was set up by that leadership and is independant of the council administration but the Torys are trying to control it and force it to adopt Tory and ICG policys in housing.  This is being fought by Hounslow Homes, Labour councillors, HFTRA (tenants and residents) and the unions but Andrews is ignoring all of them and using his position as "Lead Member" and shareholder to blackmail and bully Hounslow Homes into submission.Well we are not going to take it and if you want a fight Phil you are going to get one.  Everyone is united against you and you have bitten off more than you can chew by trying to control Hounslow Homes, it will be your downfall.  If you don't believe just watch what happens.

Verification required ● 6785d

David John Connelly was a damned sight better than some of the Labour councillors who followed him. At least John Connelly can be trusted which is more than I can say for Chatt and his cronies.

Gareth Evans ● 6799d

JohnAlan's "bets" came across to me as a tease that he knew what was contained in the Report (although he has drawn the wrong conclusions from it to form his prediction).  He most certainly has not got this information from me.

Phil Andrews ● 6801d

Phil, what makes you think |Alan has access to your draft report? As a member of Scrutiny I still await information on the Hounslow Homes report. The public are further behind in the queue. Remember, as an Executive member you are a party to the "secrecy of the Confessional" approach that operates in that august body. The rest of us outside remain in the dark until the yellow/red page obsessives allow us access to the information.

John Connelly ● 6801d

It was a reasonable request Alan.  Which aspect(s) of the Draft Report are you unhappy with?

Phil Andrews ● 6802d

Thank you for the opportunity. If only you were sincere.

Alan Sheerins ● 6802d

AlanWhy don't you just quote me which aspects of the Draft Report you are unhappy with?

Phil Andrews ● 6802d

HI PhilI am correct then, you are out to close down HH eventually. Hounslow Homes is run by a Management Committee, part of which is appointed by the Council. I take from your comments that the operational autonomy of HH is now to be disregarded by the Council.

Alan Sheerins ● 6802d

Sorry DavidI am not wrong this time, any more than I was wrong last time when you announced to the world that I was about to the private sector.I know Scrutiny has been kept informed and that it is to receive the Report once it has come back from Hounslow Homes, with whom it is currently placed for further comment.  Do you how I know David?  Because it was I who drew up the timetable.When are you going to stop making such an ass of yourself with your unsubstantiated, absurd and easily disprovable allegations?Anyway must go David, I have a date to keep with Oona...

Phil Andrews ● 6802d

No I think you will find as yet again you are wrong the meeting that a report was due to be heard at was cancelled so that you could bypass this process and report direct to the executive with out have to bother with constitutional matters of the council or for that matter democratic accountabilty no doubt you have no clue as to what democratic accountabilty is even if its spelt wrong.

Dave Hughes ● 6802d

Wrong again David.  Scrutiny is an integral part of the process and has been kept fully posted.

Phil Andrews ● 6802d

And as for John con-nolly well he seems to have tried his tears away after being kicked out of his office and had his group but back in the cleaners store room, Ha Ha best laff I have had all week.

Dave Hughes ● 6803d

So well is his review going of Hounslow Homes that he is unable to share his findings with the scrutiny committee that commissioned the report, another blow for local democracy.

Dave Hughes ● 6803d

Nothing to worry about on that score Vanessa, we do things differently at Hounslow now.

Phil Andrews ● 6804d

It's the price that may have been paid for this sudden outbreak of bonhomie that is worrying, I smell deals in smoke-filled rooms! Well in non-smoking rooms anyway........

Vanessa Smith ● 6804d

AlanHounslow Homes is already wholly owned by the London Borough of Hounslow.  How is it possible to have more control than total control?Your posting is of course a brave, laudable but sadly futile attempt to try to mitigate the ridiculous antics of your colleague David Hughes, and his inane crusade to convince readers of this forum that Hounslow Homes would be abolished following the Review and sold off to private landlords.As for your prediction, would you please remind us what your prediction was for the outcome of the local elections in May?

Phil Andrews ● 6805d

PhilThe details of your proposed changes in the relationship/functions/funding between the Council and Hounslow Homes will be what matters. I bet that these areas are being considered and i can bet that you will want to have more control over what HH delivers. I predict that the first review will in reality be an exercise in preparing the ground for the eventual end of HH.

Alan Sheerins ● 6805d

LOL John.  However, I imagine we will now be told that I had planned to recommend the abolition of Hounslow Homes to the Executive following the Management Review but that my dastardly plans have been thwarted thanks to a concerted and intelligent campaign masterminded and directed by former Councillor Ewes.Our Dave must be feeling fairly stupid now.  But then again...

Phil Andrews ● 6806d