My statement on the persistent failure of GreenSquare Housing systems
As a local champion for everyone in our community, especially the most vulnerable, I will not and will never stand for people being mistreated by those who have a duty of care to our local residents. It is therefore a great shame that the behaviour of GreenSquare Housing has continuously not been good enough throughout my time as your MP. I deal with so much casework to try to get their tenants the support that they are entitled to and last year I escalated the situation and called for a meeting with their Chief Executive – a lot of promises were made but the changes promised have not been delivered upon.
Now I am speaking out publicly because I am so worried about the residents at The Oaks which is a block of GreenSquare operated flats in Chippenham whose residents have been living with no hot water or heating for the last 10 days and I have just been informed that they hope to fix the boiler by Tuesday! I have now been assured everyone who has no hot water can have alternative accommodation if they are struggling – there was a reluctance to offer this to everyone! In addition it transpired that a similar situation is occurring at Neeld Crescent Chippenham but appallingly they are not sure if they can call everyone before they close! I am equally concerned about these residents and urge them to get in touch with me.
This means some will be left with no heating and/or hot water and no alternative if GreenSquare can’t reach the tenants by 5pm, because at that point they are going home and leaving the situation as it is.
GreenSquare have been trying to get a part for the boiler but apparently it has been delayed. I don’t for one moment blame the staff who are doing their very best but the systems they are working under are not good enough and I have serious reservations about the leadership – because how can it be deemed acceptable for these residents to still have no access to hot water and heating and for the policy to be not to offer A. a hotel and B. only now do they react in the final hour before they close after I have made several calls as have my staff.
Amongst the residents affected is a heavily pregnant woman with a young child, and elderly residents for whom living in October with no heating is not only cruel, but is potentially dangerous to their health – especially in the midst of a respiratory pandemic. Some residents have electric showers but some do not – the answer I was told earlier is to “boil a kettle!”. This has left residents unable to wash or maintain basic hygiene – again, an appalling prospect during a pandemic. Plus this is against their responsive repairs policy.
When I first requested that GreenSquare offer alternative accommodation I was told this isn’t the policy and they won’t make an exception. I have repeatedly raised serval cases over the years to GreenSquare but enough is enough. Residents living in social housing shouldn’t receive second rate care from their landlord compared to those in the private sector.
At first GreenSquare were not even providing plug-in heaters to residents without heating, but I believe some have now distributed. It is completely unacceptable for a housing association to operate this way and our community can no longer be expected to wait quietly for yet more GreenSquare promises to be broken.
Today, I have taken the issue of GreenSquare’s behaviour directly to Kelly Tolhurst, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing. I have also contacted Wiltshire Council who now have the details and are trying to do all they can for Greensquares tenants. GreenSquare have a duty of care to their residents and both with regard to The Oaks, Neeld Crescent and other properties, they are failing on that duty of care. Quite simply, this cannot go on.
Unless serious, tangible and permanent change is adopted by GreenSquare, I will be speaking up every week to make sure that the voices of those whom they are failing are heard loud and clear. I want our community to know that GreenSquare are simply not behaving in the spirit of a housing association and not only should it change, but I will lead the fight to make sure it does change.
