Brent Council has launched in a public consultation into proposals for it to take over the management of its housing stock from a failing organisation.

Brent & Kilburn Times: BHP is facing the axe bt Brent CouncilBHP is facing the axe bt Brent Council (Image: Archant)

Last month cabinet members approved plans to axe the contract with Brent Housing Partnership (BHP) and manage the borough’s housing stock in-house.

The decision was made after BHP, which was set up in 2002 as an arms length management organisation, was ordered to improve its poor performance but failed to do so.

An independent review into BHP by the council found that tenants and leaseholders were experiencing poor levels of customer satisfaction particularly regarding repairs, anti-social behaviour and overall satisfaction.

BHP is owned by the council but operates independently to manage the approximate 11,500 homes across the borough.

Cllr Harbi Farah, Brent Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We know that BHP is not performing very well.

We know that things are going to get more difficult because of the Government’s cuts so we have to do something to improve housing services.

“Our preferred option is to bring housing management under direct council control but we are launching this consultation because we want to hear from our tenants and leaseholders before we decide what to do.

“Whether it is making sure repairs happen on time, cutting the grass or servicing the lifts properly, we need to radically improve the quality of services council tenants and leaseholders get. To achieve this we believe we need much better joint working between our housing services and other parts of the council.

“If the council decides to bring council housing back under its direct control following the consultation, all tenants will remain council tenants with all the same rights they have now.”

To take part in the 12-week consultation which ends on March 17 visit brent.gov.uk/housingreview.