THERE is ‘not enough money’ in the repair pot to sufficiently rectify the standard of homes controlled by Barnsley Council - after it was revealed tenants’ complaints have climbed and more than 100 properties have been empty for more than six months.
The stark findings came after Coun Steve Hunt, who represents Darton East, blasted Berneslai Homes’ repair backlog and a rising amount of tenants approaching councillors for help.
A cabinet report released in the summer confirmed that almost 77,000 repairs had been made across the 18,000-strong estate but satisfaction levels have plummeted and three-quarters of their targets were missed at the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
“In Darton East I am getting more and more casework from dissatisfied tenants,” he said.
“When elected in 2019 I hardly got any but now it’s the biggest part of my casework.
“Tenants who are struggling to receive the service they deserve are turning to me for help.
“It seems to me that Berneslai Homes is an organisation in decline - this is borne out by the performance report and what my residents are telling me.”
Sir Steve Houghton, leader of the council, acknowledged the issue, stating that it is part of a ‘larger, national housing crisis’.
“There’s simply not enough money to do the things that are now expected of housing providers and, more importantly, expected by tenants,” he said.
“Berneslai Homes, which manages the council’s housing stock, has been transparent about the challenges it faces and is focused on improving services.
“They recognise that and are honest enough to publish the data.
“They are also in the process of sharing that data, particularly around repairs.
“It’s currently reprioritising its budget to clear the repair backlog, which is at the heart of customer dissatisfaction.
“Berneslai Homes is one of the better ones in the country but it is not immune from those financial challenges, particularly around construction costs.
“These costs have escalated beyond all anticipation and that, in many ways, is driving those repair issues.”
Coun Kevin Osborne urged action to be taken.
“Quite rightly the council sets challenging performance targets for Berneslai Homes.
“At the 2023/24 year-end, three-quarters of these targets were being missed - Berneslai Homes’ annual performance report is full of ambers and reds.
“Tenants’ satisfaction with repairs is declining, customer satisfaction with the time taken to complete the most recent repair is below target.
“Both emergency and non-emergency repairs were not being completed within the target timescale and satisfaction that the home is safe fell in one year from 83.4 per cent to 74.9 per cent.
“Berneslai Homes is losing income from void properties - by March 2024 the amount of income lost from void properties was more than double the level from March 2023.
“This means more badly-needed council homes are laid empty than should be the case.
“It was revealed recently that 110 council homes had been unoccupied for six months or more resulting in an annual rent loss of £485,000.
“There are other related costs associated with procuring expensive and often unsatisfactory temporary accommodation to house people.”
A Berneslai Homes spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by the Chronicle.
