A HOUSING management firm which controls Barnsley Council’s 18,000-strong property portfolio must improve its tenants’ levels of satisfaction, according to councillors.

Following the news that the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) awarded Berneslai Homes the top ‘C1’ grading based on its performance against consumer standards, Liberal Democrat councillors expressed concerns about issues with the housing provider amid rising complaints from residents.

Coun Hannah Kitching, who leads Barnsley’s Lib Dem contingent, said: “I would like to congratulate the team for receiving this high rating.

“I know that the Berneslai Homes staff work incredibly hard in challenging times for social housing providers and this is good news.

“However, this positive news must not deflect from the ongoing challenges being highlighted by tenants and in the recent annual report.

“As local councillors we are dealing with more and more casework from unsatisfied by tenants, particularly about repairs taking far too long to complete and endless frustrations with ineffective communications.

“We will continue to champion the need for timely, responsive service for tenants, backed up by clear, consistent communications.

“At the moment that just isn’t good enough.”

To gather information before announcing Berneslai Homes’ top rating, RSH inspectors spoke to involved tenants and observed meetings at customer and board levels.

They also attended meetings with the council and its senior leadership team and looked at performance across a wide range of areas.

A cabinet report released in the summer confirmed that almost 77,000 repairs had been made across the estate but satisfaction levels have plummeted and three-quarters of their targets were missed at the end of the 2023/24 financial year.

Coun Steve Hunt, who represents Darton East, added: “I am getting more and more casework from dissatisfied tenants.

“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 re-prioritising 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.”

Arturo Gulla, Executive Director of Property Services, said: “We work hard to make sure repairs are completed within the timescales set and agreed with tenants in our repairs and maintenance policy. During this financial year we’ve already carried out more than 46,600 responsive repairs and completed over 570 major adaptations which are life-changing for tenants.

“Like many similar organisations, Berneslai Homes is facing rising costs and demand while trying to remain within budget and we’re sorry that some customers have experienced delays with non-urgent repairs. Keeping tenants safe is our main priority and we’ll always complete those repairs that would put someone’s safety, security, or health at risk first.

“We’re committed to improving our services so that repairs are resolved quickly and effectively for customers, and in the last twelve months we’ve worked hard to reduce the backlog from the last financial year. We’re responding to feedback from tenants, and we’ve recently reviewed our communications to improve how we keep tenants informed.

“We’re continuing our work to gather stock condition information for all council-owned homes and we use this information to help develop improvement programmes. We’re also working closely with Barnsley Council to bring forward funding that will mean we can complete more major adaptations and programmed replacements sooner.”