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Council leader criticises Clarion over ‘totally unacceptable’ estate condition
A council leader has criticised the UK’s largest housing association over refuse collection and general upkeep at one of its estates.
Gavin Callaghan, leader of Basildon Council, wrote to Clare Miller, chief executive of Clarion Housing Group, last week following a visit to the 1,400-home 3/4 Estate in Vange.
In the letter, posted to a residents’ Facebook group, he said: “I regret to have to say that I was horrified by the amount of rubbish, household waste and general untidiness I found on the estate.
“I find this totally unacceptable and well below the standards residents there deserve.”
He accused the association of having refuse collection procedures that “are not fit for purpose”.
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Clarion said it has set up weekly refuse collections on the estate following “more extreme cases” of fly-tipping and cleared items dumped on the weekend before Mr Callaghan’s visit on Monday 5 August.
Photos attached to Mr Callaghan’s letter show rubbish including a mattress piled up around a bin store on the estate, but Inside Housing has seen images taken since showing the area to be clear.
The 125,000-home landlord owns around 800 of the 1,400 homes on the 3/4 Estate, while around 110 are owned by Swan Housing Association, which pays service charges to Clarion for refuse collection.
Swan is not mentioned in the councillor’s letter to Ms Miller, but in a comment underneath the Facebook post he said he has met with the association to raise the issue.
A spokesperson for the association said Swan staff are on site at the 3/4 Estate today.
Mr Callaghan’s letter added: “There is an absence of Clarion presence on the estate, so resident’s issues and concerns are not dealt with efficiently, and we have seen an escalation in homes that are not meeting decent homes standards. [sic]
“I really do have to question why residents are being charged a service charge when so little money is being invested into the upkeep of the estate.”
He acknowledged that the council could work with Clarion to improve standards on the estate and noted that the two organisations have already been in contact, but said: “I am left worried, however, by how the situation was allowed to become so bad, and why your officers were not able to take preventative action.”
A spokesperson for Clarion said: “Fly-tipping is a form of anti-social behaviour and when it has happened the council has said it is unable to empty their bins, exacerbating the problem.
“Not only has Clarion put in place a weekly commercial collection to pre-empt issues, it is completed the day before the council’s domestic collection.
“We have cleared the items dumped over the weekend and will continue to work with the council to explore all issues, including Basildon’s collection capacity and their bulk goods collection service.
“We want to understand why this is happening and find a resolution to illegal fly-tipping that benefits the whole community.”
Update: at 11.51am, 20/08/19 This story was updated following information provided by Swan.
