Paragon Asra Housing (PA Housing) has announced plans to double its investment in Richmond over the next year, with a budget of £2,311,402 allocated for improvements to 359 homes and blocks across the borough. This significant commitment was revealed during a presentation to the Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Committee on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, where PA Housing outlined its Social Housing Improvement Plan.
Last year, PA Housing invested £1.1 million in Richmond, upgrading components in 209 homes and blocks. The planned expenditure for 2026/27 represents a substantial increase in the housing association's focus on the borough. The specific types of upgrades planned for Richmond in 2026/27 include investment in boilers and electric heating, bathrooms, kitchens, windows and doors, external and communal redecorations, and carpet replacements.
Charles Ellis, Executive Director of Asset Management at PA Housing, stated that the organisation's focus over the past year has been on improving repair services, providing safer and more sustainable homes, strengthening resident involvement, and enhancing transparency. Performance updates showed strong emergency repair completion rates, exceeding 96%, and routine repairs at 88.9%. Resident satisfaction with completed repairs remained high at 95%, based on over 20,000 surveys.
Sally Underhill, Director of Neighbourhoods for the region, highlighted the various ways residents can get involved, including service improvement panels and resident champions. She noted that 102 out of 145 recommendations made by residents this year have been completed.
Looking ahead, PA Housing plans to focus on improved communication with residents, sustaining and improving repairs performance, reducing overdue work, and strengthening support for residents with additional needs. This includes reviewing vulnerability-flagged jobs daily where they are at risk of breaching target times, and implementing a proactive jeopardy process that reviews jobs due to become out of time within the next three days to enable earlier intervention and resident contact. They also aim to ensure that residents' details regarding disability, vulnerability, and communication needs are visible to colleagues at the point of service delivery, enabling tailored communication, proportionate decision-making, and appropriate prioritisation of services.
The organisation also aims to continue its journey in increasing the number of homes meeting energy efficiency standards within the borough. Currently, 85% of PA Housing's homes have reached the government target of EPC Level C. They have a clear plan to deliver the remaining homes that are not at EPC C by 2029, which is a year ahead of the government's target.
PA Housing will be engaging on their fourth TSM annual survey, which starts on Monday, and they will take on board the results and feedback from residents to improve services going forward. They also mention strengthening their response in terms of antisocial behaviour through partnership working and better local intelligence. The full details of the committee meeting can be found in the Public reports pack.