Council reports significant spending on repair orders, allegedly due to years of neglected housing maintenance.
In a recent turn of events, Milton Keynes Council has been ordered to pay £5,500 in compensation to a disabled resident and her son. The council's handling of repairs at the resident's property has been criticised by the Housing Ombudsman, who found severe maladministration against the council.
The council's woes stem from a complaint related to 120 outstanding repair jobs over a period of 4 years. The Ombudsman's investigation revealed that the council failed to raise the resident's formal complaint when it came in, leading to further delays.
Subsequent works arising from a damp and mould report were required, but the council's response did not provide a thorough investigation of its repairs handling. The council also failed to recognize the amount of time and number of appointments required to resolve some of the issues, compounding the problems with repeated delays and poor communication.
The Housing Ombudsman stressed the importance of using data as intelligence to identify where services may be going wrong. However, the council was criticized for poor record keeping, including not keeping adequate repairs records and not obtaining records from contractors.
The damp and mould inspection ordered for the resident's property revealed the extent of the issues, but the council did not recognize the impact on the resident and her child given their vulnerabilities. The council did not express empathy towards the resident or acknowledge the distress caused by the prolonged repairs.
The landlord was also ordered to apologize to the resident and carry out repairs, but the landlord failed to address the key failings within the case and continues to show few signs of learning from these errors. Attempts by a councillor to chase a formal response were also unsuccessful, adding to the resident's frustration.
In response to the criticism, the council has put actions in place to prevent similar delays from happening again. They have recognised the decision and apologised to the resident for their experience.
This case serves as a reminder of the importance of effective communication, empathy, and efficient service delivery, particularly for vulnerable residents. The council has a responsibility to ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to the needs of all its residents.
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