Croydon Conservatives Response to the Independent Investigation into the Regina Road flats
So just hours after the polls closed for the five by-elections being held in Croydon on 6th May, Croydon Labour eventually published the ARK report – the independent report commissioned to find out why residents were left in mould-ridden soaking wet flats in Regina Road, South Norwood.
The ITV News pictures viewed by millions of people in March, showed the most appalling living conditions with residents, including young children, being left to live in the most distressing, squalid accommodation. Croydon’s Labour Council is a slum landlord.
ARK’s report lays bare the catalogue of failures and missed opportunities to address the serious complaints about the leak in the block of flats over a period of four years, but most shocking of all is the utter disrespect shown by the Council to their tenants.
ARK sets out its view that there was systemic failure by the Labour Council to deliver even the most basic ‘core’ housing services due to a lack of competence, lack of care and respect for tenants and systemic problems with dealing with tenant’s complaints. Alongside this ARK has identified a poor use of data by the Council and notes that senior management were clueless as to what was actually going on.
Croydon’s failing Labour Council has made it abundantly clear that the whole ‘ignore the resident’ culture has come from the very top of the organisation – and that this has been going on for some years.
The whole situation is utterly unacceptable and must change immediately and any outstanding health and safety issues must be addressed as a top priority.
Following on from a growing list of critical independent reports received over the past six months, Labour’s response yet again, is to fully accept the report’s findings and to establish yet another ‘Improvement Board’. We question why Croydon Council needs quite so many Improvement Boards – surely delivering efficient, effective and value for money services can’t be that difficult.
Here in Croydon we have service after service failing the most basic of its responsibilities. It’s the same old Labour; same old Labour failure. Failing to listen to residents; failing to offer the most basic human courtesy; failure to deliver.
You can read the full ARK report on the Council's website.
