MP plans no confidence vote in Bradford landlord

A Labour MP is threatening to canvas Bradford Community HousingTrust's tenants to see whether they want to transfer their homes toanother landlord.

Keighley & Ilkley MP Ann Cryer claims shehas been inundated withcomplaints about the 'uninhabitable' social homes managed bythe trust. Some tenants were living in'dangerous and unhealthyconditions', she said. Ms Cryer said she might file a report to theHousing Corporation and make recommendations to housing ministerYvetteCooper.

'It is not just one or two tenants but alarge number that havecomplained. Theyhave been complaining for a long time but nothing hashappened,' her spokesperson said. 'Water has been pouring fromthe walls in some houses from January.'

It is the latest high-profile intervention inhousing associationaffairs by a Labour MP, after Communities and Local Government selectcommittee member Emily Thornberry tabled a bill which would forceassociations to hand over control of their homes to rival landlords iftenants were unhappy (InsideHousing, 3 May).

In a letter to BCHT, Ms Cryer claimed the housing association was inbreach of its contractual obligations as a landlord. The corporationawarded BCHT threestars in an inspection report in August. An AuditCommission inspection report published the previous month rated itshousing services as fair with an excellent chance of improvement.

However, BCHT's responsive repairs service was labelled as poor andamong the worst quarter ofhousing associations in the country, thecommission found.

BCHT is furious at the allegations. Insiders believe that Ms Cryer wascurrying favour with local voters at a time when a snap generalelection looked likely.

Group chief executive Geraldine Hawley, promised lasting improvements,but admitted £45,000 per home was needed to bring some properties up to'Bradford standard'. This exceeds the decent homes standard. MsHawley said the trust would, by April 2008, have invested £26 millionimproving homes in the Keighley area

'This month we will be fully consulting with local tenants on theinvestment and long-term development options.'

Arthur Goff, chair of the Aire-Wharfe Alliance, which represents morethan 30 local tenants' and residents' groups, was supportive ofthe trust's efforts. 'Over the last four years, BCHT has workedextremely hard to involve customers and invest in improving homes,'he said.

James Tickell, a partner at consultancy Campbell Tickell, stressedthere was no case for state interference in associations' affairs.'If this sort of transfer were possible it would be the end ofhousing association independence. They would be creatures ofthestate.'