Tower Hamlets is taking steps to address concerns about housing repairs and bolster its contractor workforce, according to discussions at the recent Human Resources Committee meeting.

Councillor Amina Ali raised concerns about the state of repairs, a frequent complaint from residents. David Joyce, Corporate Director of Housing and Regeneration, responded that the council is actively working to strengthen contract management and increase expectations for contractors. He emphasised that the council is working to get the most out of existing contractors by managing them tightly, and will consider all options for improving service delivery as contracts expire.

A big part of what we need to do is strengthen the contract management and increase our expectation when performance is not where it should be, said Mr. Joyce.

Specifically, Mulalley, a primary contractor, is adding nine operatives to their team as winter approaches to better handle the anticipated increase in demand. This increase in capacity aims to improve responsiveness to complaints1.

Councillor Abdal Ullah emphasised the importance of a motivated workforce in delivering quality services. Mr. Joyce acknowledged the need for a culture change within the housing department, particularly in the context of Awab's Law, stressing the importance of a resident-focused approach. He stated that the council needs to address staff who are not fully committed to this culture and be prepared to take action through performance management2. He referenced feedback from the regulatory inspection, noting that staff expressed feeling more integrated with the council post-inspection, particularly after the insourcing of Tower Hamlets Homes3. Mr. Joyce stated that leaders like Ghulam Hussain and Stephen Platt are helping people feel more settled after a lot of change. Stephen Platt is leading a leadership forum where leaders discuss learning from complaints and resident-focused approaches.

  1. While Mulalley is adding operatives, the meeting information does not provide specific details about additional training or resources being provided to Mulalley's team. ↩

  2. The meeting information does not specify how the success of these culture change efforts will be measured. ↩

  3. The specific findings of the regulatory inspection are not detailed in the meeting information. ↩