Wiltshire Council call for housing association to do better

It comes after recent reports of “future property sales, poor maintenance and excessive charges” by GreenSquareAccord, as well as Aster tenants being “removed from their homes so that demolition can take place before properties are rebuilt for sale on the open market”.

The motion was approved unanimously at a full council meeting on Wednesday, July 24, and calls for these associations to invest in their older stock in Wiltshire rather than disposing of it on the housing market in the anticipation of buying cheaper replacements.

Co-author of the motion and cabinet member for planning, Cllr Nick Botterill described the behaviour of GreenSquareAccord as “appalling and unprofessional” and accused them of “playing with people’s lives”.

READ MORE: GreenSquareAccord gives out compensation to residents without heating

GreenSquareAccord was formed in April 2021 from the merger of Accord Housing Association, based in the West Midlands, and GreenSquare Group, based in the South West. (Image: Newsquest)

The other councillor behind the motion, Cllr Allison Bucknell, used to be a board member of GreenSquareAccord and said she no longer “recognised” the housing association.

Wiltshire Council’s Lib Dem leader, Cllr Ian Thorn, said: “I’ve seen residents in GreenSquareAccord properties that, bluntly, you wouldn’t keep animals in.”

He added: “We’ve all seen this – where residents have got water, literally permanently, running down their walls, who have been waiting years to have some sort of work done that might address the issue.”

Regarding such tenants, Cllr Lisa Farrell, from Marlborough Town Council, said: “In two-bedroom flats, there are families of three children in one room – they are all desperate for three-bedroom houses, but for some reason the housing associations seem to be selling every three-bedroom house in Marlborough.”

She added: “They use bully tactics, which I find very upsetting, on our very vulnerable elderly people.”

The leader of the council, Cllr Richard Clewer, concluded that such housing associations are “failing to do their job.”

GreenSquareAccord is one of the biggest social housing and care providers in the country.

A spokesperson from the association said: “Investing in our existing homes to make sure they are of a high standard for our customers is a top priority for us.

“In 2023/24 we invested £71.2million on repairs and improvements.

“This included providing our customers with new kitchens and bathrooms, repairing roofs, replacing windows, and making homes warmer and more energy efficient for our customers.

“We now have a full report on the condition of our properties, and this has informed a long-term investment plan which will see us spend £420million on our customers’ homes over the next five years.

“We have a legal and ethical responsibility to make sure our homes are of the right quality and standards and meet the needs of our customers into the future.

“This includes ensuring they are energy efficient and as cheap to run as possible.

“To achieve this we must make sensible, sustainable decisions about our investments.

“In some instances, the cost of investing to bring a property up to the required standards cannot be justified and, in those cases, the responsible decision is to sell that property.

“This usually involves properties which are vacant but there are times when a home will be occupied.

“When this happens we provide tailored support and compensation for impacted customers and help them to move on to suitable alternative accommodation."

A spokesperson for Aster Group said: “In a very small number of cases, we will sometimes sell a property that is unsustainable.

“This enables us to reinvest money from the sale into building more modern, energy efficient, affordable homes that better meet our customers' needs.

“We support any customer affected by this throughout the entire process, providing them with suitable alternative accommodation and assistance with moving to their new home.”