Thanks to all the contractors who joined the roundtable hosted jointly by EN:Procure and the Housing Ombudsman on Wednesday 20th November to discuss the themes in their forthcoming “Repairing Trust” report.
The free online event gave contractors a forum to share their honest and candid views in an open and informal discussion about their challenges and practical barriers to carrying out repairs and maintenance contracts for social housing, as well as the positives and examples of best practice to make a real difference for tenants and residents.
The open discussion generated embodied the spirit of trust the Housing Ombudsman aims to establish to address the challenges and issues effectively through their Call for Evidence for the report, which highlights safety concerns for residents and proactive steps by some landlords in preparation for Awaab’s Law, which will enforce repair timelines and record-keeping.
Contractors raised many points around this issue and gave their recommendations on how they can better support social housing providers to prepare. Discussion also focussed on rising disrepair claims, the shortage of skilled works and rising costs of materials and service delivery.
These views will feed into the ‘Repairing Trust’ report which is due to be issued at the end of March 2025.
The Housing Ombudsman will return for another free online event when the report is issued. There will be a special EN:Connect webinar when they will speak to contractors and members to discuss the findings and recommendations in more depth. More information on how to join the webinar will be available in the new year.
Emma Mottram, Director of Operations at EN:Procure said: “This is exactly the kind of collaboration and market engagement we aim to deliver through our frameworks and adoption of FAC-1. It’s another example of how we’re delivering some of the recommendations of the Constructing the Gold Standard report. We are very pleased to provide a forum of trust where voices have been heard and views taken on board so that service levels can be enhanced for the benefit of residents.”
Martyn Gorton, Managing Director, Certus Construction Group said: “This was a great event and good to see the Housing Ombudsman consulting with suppliers and contractors. One of the many benefits of consortia like Efficiency North is allowing for individual organisations, no matter what the size, to have a voice.”
More information about the report here:
https://www.engage.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/contractors-call-for-evidence
The Call for Evidence is now closed.
EN:Procure
EN:Able Futures
EN:Able Communities