Residents to have say on how council homes are maintained

ForHousing has been Cheshire West and Chester Council's strategic housing partner, but the firm responsible for the management and maintenance of 5,300 homes in Ellesmere Port, Neston and Winsford is not expected to extend its current contract beyond June 2027.

The council has said it was "due to ForHousing's current strategic direction", that contract will not extend any further.

The 5,312 homes are largely located in Ellesmere Port, including 921 in Great Sutton, 751 in Stanney, 527 in Westminster and 443 in Grange. A further 584 are located in the Neston area, plus 461 in the Winsford area and six in Chester.

Cheshire West and Chester Council's Cabinet has approved for the consultation to ask residents of the 5,312 council homes for their preferred option on what the council should do next.

Tenants are to be provided with two options.

The first is for the council to own and manage the homes, with repairs and maintenance delivered by an external specialist contractor. The second is for the council to find a replacement for ForHousing, with that company playing a similar role in managing and maintaining homes.

Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, Ray McHale, secretary of West Cheshire TUC, noted the council had previously approved an increase of £1.5 million per year for ForHousing from 2024/25, plus an additional £1.357 million to cover repairs in 2023/24.

He said the council "rushed through" the extra £6 million funding, saying it was "like giving someone a pay rise as they are handed in their notice."

He said the proposed consultation was "too restrictive" and would lead to a "pre-determined outcome".

"We have a situation where complaints, mainly about repairs, have doubled in the last year, yet you're not prepared to consider taking that key part of the service in-house, and making it fully and directly accountable," he told Cabinet.

He also said the council report did not mention trade unions, nor any reference to consulting the workforce affected.

Addressing those comments, deputy council leader and and Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Highways, Cllr Karen Shore, said: "What I want to make very clear in the options, the first one is about the council managing the housing contract and then contracting the repair side of that out.

"Ultimately the go-to body will be the council, not a third party, and that hopefully gives some reassurance to those tenants that have had some issues with communicating around repairs and things. The second option is to contract out the whole area.

"We work hand-in-hand with trade unions, we always want their views and their opinions and will continue to do so that they represent members, they represent working people, and many of those working people are also our tenants."

A 12-week consultation will run from Monday, September 23, until Sunday, December 15 to ask tenants to provide their opinions on two options. Responses to the consultation will help to inform the recommended option which will be put before Cabinet in March 2025.

The Council have commissioned independent tenant engagement specialists who will consult with tenants, leaseholders, local ward members and key stakeholders in a variety of ways.

In addition to an online survey, there will be a number of drop-in sessions which tenants can attend and discuss their views and ask any questions they may have. Tenants are also able to speak with their local councillor about the future options.

Cllr Christine Warner, cabinet member for homes, planning and safer communities, said: “These decisions are key for the future direction of council housing in the borough. I’d like to thank ForHousing and their team for their hard work in managing our Council housing since 2017.

"We will continue to work together to provide good quality services to our residents. It is now important that people get to have their say in how their homes are managed beyond July 2027, and I would encourage all tenants to get involved and respond to the consultation."