Lewisham Council has significantly increased its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for housing repairs by £6.2 million, aiming to transform its services and address a substantial maintenance backlog. The council aims to reduce works in progress to 4,500 by March 31, 2026, and has already reduced non-decent homes from 26% to 17% by addressing issues such as missing carbon monoxide or smoke alarms and electrical repairs.

The decision, spotlighted during the Public Accounts Select Committee meeting on 17 September 2025, reflects the council's commitment to improving the quality and safety of its social housing stock. The increased allocation is part of a broader strategy to enhance the efficiency of the repairs service and tackle long-standing issues such as disrepair cases and non-decent homes. The council approved procuring a managed disrepair project to tackle the backlog at scale.

Gillian Douglas, the Executive Director of Housing, highlighted the progress made in the repairs service, stating that the council is prioritising the use of its in-house operative workforce. The principle of making maximum use of our own in-house operative workforce is something that the head of service is driving with results, she said. So we're seeing that workforce increasing its productivity, being better enabled and organised, as well as being supported and valued. The council plans to ensure the increased productivity of the in-house operative workforce does not compromise the quality of repairs through training, proper health and safety management, and good supervision of that workforce .

According to the HRA Budget 2025-26 Report, the £6.2 million boost is part of a two-year growth adjustment to support the Housing Repairs Transformation Programme. The report also detailed other changes to the HRA allocations for 2025/26, including:

Expenditure:

  • Salaries Inflation @ £0.682m
  • NI Changes - Employers Costs @ £0.425m
  • Running Costs Inflation @ £1.633m
  • Increase in Interest Costs (Additional HRA debt) @ £2.221m

Income:

  • Additional Rent based on 2.7% rent increase @ £3.291m
  • Additional Service Charges - full cost recovery @ £1.652m
  • Additional Fees & Charges - full cost recovery @ £0.547m
  • HRA Savings @ £1.086m

Councillor James Rathbone, Chair of the meeting, welcomed the positive direction of travel, noting the improvements in ICT systems and the overall progress made by the housing department. The Housing Management System was launched in December 2023. While the transition was challenging, rent and service charge collection are now performing well. Legacy IT systems from Lewisham Homes have been brought across to the council environment. The key focus is the implementation of Total Mobile and the decommissioning of a number of repairs legacy systems.

The HRA Business Plan, also discussed at the meeting, outlines the long-term financial strategy for managing the council's housing stock. It emphasizes the importance of balancing demands with available income and prioritising stock investment and safety.

This investment aims to reduce the number of non-decent homes and improve the overall living conditions for Lewisham's social housing tenants. The council is also focusing on reducing disrepair cases, which have been a significant cost pressure on the HRA. Disrepairs cases and damp and mould cases are being reduced month on month. Call waiting times in Repairs were 5 minutes on average for April-July 2025.

Councillor Mark Jackson echoed the Chair's comments on the achievements in the repairs and maintenance service, highlighting the substantial reduction in works in progress and non-decent homes.

The boost to the HRA budget signals a renewed focus on housing repairs and maintenance in Lewisham, with the council committed to delivering tangible improvements for its tenants.