In a previous post, an anonymous commenter made some remarks about impending cuts at Tower Hamlets Homes, the arm’s length management organisation that now runs the borough’s publicly owned housing stock. THH was set up by Labour after a wave of Housing Choice stock transfers. The thinking at the time was that having an organisation separated from the town hall would allow for a leaner outfit.
THH certainly picked up a poisoned chalice. I can speak from personal experience on this: the freehold on my flat is owned by the council/THH and the issues I’ve had with the various leaseholder services personnel over the years quite frankly defy belief. I think even THH staff would recognise the mess they have to deal with and to be fair, since they took over, there has been a determination to sort it out.
The comment made about THH was this:
Ted, not sure if you have heard Tower Hamlets Homes is axing 80 jobs after it privatised a number of its services, Repairs, Major Works and Decent Homes. They are also getting rid of all the Resident Engagement staff as well as staff in leasehold services, caretakers and rents. I’m surprised you haven’t covered that and neither have any of the other local press.
Wonder why there is this silence from the press in what is a major shake-up of one of the biggest housing association in the borough.
That comment has attracted the attention of Gavin Cansfield, the chief executive of THH, who, in the dealings I’ve had with him, seems to be extremely attentive, approachable and determined to run a better operation. His job is a tough one, though. He has just posted a reply and clarification on the situation on the “Dead Sheep Mauled” thread. However, I’m going to use it here, both to keep that thread on topic and to allow for a more focused discussion under its own title.
Here’s his reply:
Following the comments by ‘Anon1′ about Tower Hamlets Homes, I thought it would be helpful to set the record straight about what we are proposing.
Like all public sector organisations, we are having to make cuts and do the same or more for less. We need to find £4.424m of savings over the next three years, of which £3.458m needs to be found for next year – there is no way of making these savings without employing fewer staff.
Our top priority is protecting frontline services, which is why we have committed that there will be no job losses among front-line caretakers, Neighbourhood Housing Officers or in the Rents Team and minimal job losses in the Leasehold Team. Instead, we are proposing to cut senior manager posts, by moving from four directors to three, and from 17 Heads of Service to 12.
However, we still need to make further savings, and have offered staff in certain areas of the organisation the opportunity to apply for a voluntary severance package.
No staff have yet been made redundant. We have not privatised our Repairs or Major Works section, or indeed any other part of the organisation. We are not ‘getting rid of all the Resident Engagement staff’.
Our proposals are just that – proposals, and are currently out to consultation with staff and trade unions. If any Tower Hamlets Homes resident wants more information about what we are proposing, they should feel free to contact me directly.
Gavin Cansfield
Chief Executive
Tower Hamlets Homes
It’s commendable that Gavin has wanted to set the record straight. Let’s please have an informed and sensible discussion about tenant and leaseholder issues in the borough and make constructive suggestions to him about how things could be improved.
Trial by Jeory 
The need for major works staff would of course be entirely dependent on the funding for major works.
If the funding for that is reduced there’s no job to do – or a much reduced one.
Not quite sure where they stand on that but that’s certainly an area where I would find redundancies or redeployment unsurprising.
Perhaps they could fund the Major Works team by surcharging leaseholders a sum of say, 20%, for spurious, unnecessary and otherwise questionable Major Works projects…
Well Ted I would say you are still very lucky to have THH i mean you could have one of them Housing Assocations that half of us got forced upon them at least the residents from THH still have Rights and security
I’m a THH tenant, and have generally been impressed with the improvement in service since the transfer. They’ve painted all the rauilings on my estate for the first time in the forty years I’ve lived there.
But ….
What on earth are ‘resident engagement staff’?
How comes the old TH Housing Directorate had, err, one director but THH has 4 and a CEO? (Phew at least their getting rid of one overpaid beauracrat.)
Ted, perhaps you’d like to put in an FOI enquiry to finmd out the staffing levels of THH compared to the old TH Housing Directorate.
Oh, and please could they stop sending me leaflets telling me how marvellous THH is? How much do they spend on ‘communications’?
” Let’s please have an informed and sensible discussion…”
Ted have THH paid you to do some PR on their behalf? This article sounds like a PR campaign on behalf of THH!
I dont know whether to laugh or cry anymore with propaganda journalism that smoke screen’s the reality!
Let’s face it, the only serious opposition in Tower Shamlets is Ted Jeory.
– Kevin d’Arcy, author of ‘Who’s in charge here?’
THH will not get the Decent Homes money, and their recent inspection and the money pumped into it has been a massive waste. Is there any point in LBTH retaining an ALMO function with duplicate support services etc?
With a proposal to outsource Asset Management function alongside repairs, the justification for the ALMO goes. THH will then only be paid a management fee from the council to manage a Contract?
It makes sense now for LBTH to bring its tenant function back in house and get rid of an unnecessary layer of management.
THH was a waste of money from start. It cost over £200,000 to set up and has been nothing more than an inefficient reflection of the council’s failure to manage its own properties. But then again TH ex CEO Martin Smith and ex Leader Cllr Denise Jones never had a passion for defending council housing thus they enjoyed watching Cllr Shafiqul Haque poorly presiding over the poor housing cabinet portfolio during the formation of this near bogus taxrinser, ALMO THH.
And how much is Gavin Cansfield on exactly?
£100,000? £200,000?
Whatever the amount he won’t be feeling the recession.
Shame on him taking so much taxpayers money. Pen pushers like should be paid a fraction of what doctors and nurses earn.
Bet Mr Kevin d’Arcy regrets publicly wanting an independent mayor as he never thought Lutfur would get kicked out by Labour and still become an ‘independent mayor’!
Gonna do a post about these nutters ted?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340794/Muslim-group-launches-poster-hate-campaign-festive-period.html
Sack Takki and Gavin = Save £200-300k = Save 20 council jobs!
Yet another glib and ignorant comment by F4EM!
Did you know that ALMO means “arms length management organisation” – which means it has a significant degree of independence from the Council.
I don’t know what exact arrangements applied to THH but normally the ALMO is an independent company and all staff employed by an ALMO have transferred to it under TUPE. That means they are no longer Council employees.
Are you beginning to get the drift? Sacking Gavin isn’t going to save any Council jobs.
Now – as to the cost to the Council of an employee. Did you know that it isn’t the same as the gross salary of that employee?
Nope? I thought so…….
YCMIU. ALMOs are a gradual attempt to rid the council of any responsibilities like maintenance, repairs, Decent Homes, aids and adaptations. The council hasn’t had much interest to defend council housing but it doesn’t mean tenants didn’t. Housing Choice was won in many areas with poor consultation and ill information. While there have been improvements to properties by RSLs, where Housing Choice were rejected, ALMOs as the alternative have failed to secure adequate funding or meet DH std by 2010. THH have failed to meet many many tenants’ expectations. Your knowledge of ALMOs is shallow. The picture isn’t all rosy because Gavin Cansfield isn’t Bengali. Leaseholders and tenants across TH are less than satisfied with LBTH and THH. Just ask the residents in RHG that you read about in East London Advertiser. They don’t have a clue what darkness THH have kept them under. Get the drift? No. RHG=Robin Hood Gardens, the mayor’s new beauty parlour.