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Council eyes housing service restructure amid C3 grade
Bristol City Council is looking at creating a new standalone housing department, as its interim chief executive said it was “not best placed to deliver the service our tenants deserve”.
A report by Paul Martin, the council’s interim chief executive, presented to councillors last week, said he was “minded” to create a new department and executive director of housing role.
His report followed an independent review by housing consultant Michael Scorer.
The review said a director of housing would bring “immediacy, awareness and understanding of issues and resident impact from an operational perspective as well as a strategic one. And, that this will benefit the council and the city overall.”
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In July, the regulator handed Bristol City Council a C3 grade for consumer standards, due to “serious failings”. Among the issues, the council had reported to the regulator that around 3,000 remedial fire actions were outstanding.
Bristol, like many councils, is facing severe financial challenges. In August, Tony Dyer, the newly elected leader of the council, warned it risked going bankrupt.
Mr Martin said: “Like many local authorities, we are in the grip of a housing crisis and face many challenges and difficult decisions, and we recognise that, structurally, the team is not best placed to deliver the service our tenants deserve.
“Our priority is to provide good-quality housing for all, making sure everyone has a safe and secure roof over their head.”
The council owns 26,640 rented homes and 1,867 leased homes.
Mr Scorer’s report said the council should also pay “close attention” to the learnings from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, especially in relation to safety, the relationship with its tenants, and anti-discrimination.
Last year, residents of Barton House, a 14-storey tower block owned by the council, were forced to evacuate when a survey found major structural faults.
In his report, Mr Scorer concluded: “This is possibly the most challenging time for council housing in a generation. The challenges facing council landlords like Bristol are immense.
“The long list, which includes rising homelessness, a shrinking private rented sector, insufficient affordable housing, ageing council housing stock in need of urgent safety and health investment, paints a bleak picture.”
The council said no decisions had yet been made and its chief executive would consider the “overall senior leadership structure” for its housing and landlord services, based on the committee’s feedback.
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