2022/23 was a challenging year for everyone, with almost everything costing more, skill shortages and an uncertain political environment.

Despite the cost of living crisis and huge increases in inflation that meant everything, from a weekly shop, to building materials cost much more than anyone could have predicted, our focus was to ensure we could continue to invest in our homes and communities. During the year we invested £7m into maintaining our existing homes to ensure they remained safe and well- maintained, including £2.26m on fire safety.

We also began the process of updating the information we hold on the condition of the homes we provide. This will take most of 23/24 to complete, but once available, this information will be used to plan and prioritise to ensure we invest in the right things at the right time, to maintain standards and enable us to share and consult on our forward plans with residents.

Fire and building safety remain our top priorities:

 

Building safety

Throughout the year we completed 216 in depth fire risk assessments and four intrusive surveys on our buildings. These surveys involve opening up buildings to check the structure and taking samples of materials for analysis, to ensure our residents’ homes are as safe as possible.

We also worked to develop three building Safety Cases to meet new legislation for High Rise buildings in preparation for the new Building Safety Act that became law on 1 October 2023. This means collating detailed information on the design, structure and materials of the building together with the fire safety measures and how it is used.

As a result of our proactive work with our residents on fire safety, we had some examples from our resident engagement strategy for our tall buildings used as best practice in the HSE guidance. Where we have needed to make changes to our buildings, we have worked hard to ensure costs are covered from developers, warranties, insurance and government funding, not from rents. This totals approximately £7.5 million for work that is already underway or complete, and an additional £6 million for the claims that have been accepted, but where the work is not yet underway.
 

Damp and mould

We know that damp and mould can be a real concern for some residents, so in 2022/23 we strengthened our approach. Colleagues were provided with specialist training, record keeping was improved and we identified and resolved over 1,300 instances of damp and mould throughout the year.

A new policy was  agreed with our involved residents, and information for residents was improved, with a 'Healthy Homes' campaign launched in September alongside other Placeshaper organisations.

If you are currently experiencing a problem with damp and mould, please get in touch with us immediately.

We take all reports seriously and are here to get the problem resolved for you. How to get in touch about any damp and mould issues.