More housing offices to face the axe

One of the 'part time' Area Housing Office's

The Tory-Liberal coalition on Lambeth Council is pushing ahead with the reduction in service of more housing offices, despite reservations from tenants and leaseholders. As part of the so-called ‘reframing’ project, on the 27th September the Council is set to downgrade the services provided by Neighbourhood Offices in the Clapham and Stockwell Area by only allowing them to open part-time. Instead an ‘Area Office’ is to be opened – but which will have to service three times more people than the neighbourhood offices.

The Council is rushing ahead with the next phase despite problems in North Lambeth, where the scheme was first introduced. For a start, the caller centre that is supposed to replace the Neighbourhood Offices is seen as impersonal, with tenants and leaseholders demanding to be allowed to see people face-to-face. North Lambeth still doesn’t have an Area Manager in post and unbelievably, it’s not altogether clear what the Area Managers do– as the day-to-day running of the Area Offices is delegated to the Deputy Area Managers.

Commenting, Pat Scahill, a Stockwell tenant said:

“I have grave misgivings on the reframing project as it is being rolled out in Clapham and Stockwell. The area is far too big and needs to be cut in half. I am yet to be convinced that the run up to reframing in the North Stockwell area office will be beneficial to residents.”

And Councillor John Kazantzis, Labour’s housing spokesperson said:

“The council would also do well to remember that no matter how quickly a phone is answered or how polite the call operator is, ultimately the quality of the service depends upon the speed and efficiency of the actual repair work that is carried out, which as yet shows little sign of improving. No-one wants reframing. Certainly not tenants and an overwhelming 97.8% of Lambeth housing staff who responded to a ballot on the issue do not believe the changes will improve the council's housing service.”

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