Brighton and Hove Council Housing Team Faces 6,000 Repair Backlog
A recent report reveals Brighton and Hove’s housing team is struggling with a backlog of 6,000 repairs, prompting urgent council discussions.
Brighton, Hove, Council, Housing, Repairs, Backlog
Brighton: So, it turns out the housing department in Brighton and Hove is still dealing with a pretty hefty backlog of repairs. They’ve got around 6,000 repairs waiting to be done, which is a lot, right?
Five months back, the council was called out for some serious issues. They promised to throw £15 million at fixing things up after a tough report from the Regulator of Social Housing. Now, councillors are gearing up to hear how things are going.
They’ll be getting an update on the repairs backlog and some safety issues, like fire and electrical checks. The Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee is meeting soon to dive into this.
Back in September, the committee first looked into these problems. The regulator had pointed out that the council wasn’t meeting some important health and safety rules. They found a backlog of 8,000 repairs that were low-risk but still needed attention.
Even though workers are managing to fix about 3,000 to 3,500 repairs each month, it’s still a tough job. The latest report mentions that they’re trying to figure out what’s causing the delays by looking at repair trends and getting feedback from tenants.
To tackle the backlog, the council is bringing in more contractors and making plans to hit a target by July 2025. They’re also focusing on getting repairs done right the first time and improving maintenance programs.
By the end of this year, they managed to complete nearly 9,000 out of over 19,000 routine repairs within 28 days. But as of November, there were still over 6,500 repairs waiting to be done.
Some residents raised concerns about electrical checks, with thousands of homes lacking proper reports. The council aims to have all properties checked by December next year.
As for fire safety, they’ve identified a bunch of issues and are working to make sure all high-risk buildings are compliant by the end of 2024. The next meeting is set for January 21, and it’ll be streamed online for anyone interested.