By Onward tenant Michael Harrison
On a Thursday afternoon towards the end of November 2023, tenants and residents of Onward Homes, a housing association, were invited to a meeting. It was called at very short notice, with little publicity, and took place in the late afternoon when many of those who might have attended were still at work.
Huskisson Street – Liverpool
The meeting was prompted by a local councillor who had received a high volume of complaints about Onward and thought that an open meeting between tenants, residents, and representatives from the organisation would be the best way forward.
However, the organisers – and I’m sure especially the representatives from Onward – were subsequently caught out by the number of people who attended. The organisers had only booked a small meeting room in a local community centre, which was rapidly filled before the meeting really started, and with others still arriving. Fortunately, a conference hall was available and we moved in there.
A Rich History
Many at the meeting lived in the large houses originally built in the mid to late 19th century not far from the city centre for the wealthy Liverpool merchants and ship owners who made fortunes out of trade with the Americas, especially in cotton, sugar and tobacco, and the slave trade before that. After the Second World War, these homes were falling into dereliction as the rich deserted the centre of Liverpool for greener pastures further inland or on the The Wirral, on the other side of the Mersey.
Many of the houses were bought for a song by private landlords who divided them into flats using hardboard partitions which made for some quirky layouts. However, in the 1970s, the housing shortage led to the formation of housing associations in the region, and Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT), the forerunner of Onward, was set up at this time by a group of Anglican vicars.
This meant that ordinary working people could live in decent accommodation close to the centre of town and not be forced to live on the outskirts of the city where many of the council built estates had been constructed as part of the post-war public housing programme. The housing improved, but the area remained less than desirable. It was Liverpool’s red light district. Deprivation, social ills, and a hostile and racist police force led to the infamous Toxteth riots of 1981.
Forty years on, things have changed again. Like many other cities throughout the UK, Liverpool has undergone a process of gentrification and yuppification. Accommodation within walking distance of the city centre is highly desirable and, what’s important here, and what prompted the meeting in late November, is that housing associations have also changed.
From being relatively small organisation managing perhaps a few hundred properties there have been a succession of mergers. Housing associations now manage thousands of homes and are highly commercialised property developers and speculators. Onward has not been immune from this trend, and now manages 35,000 homes across Merseyside, Manchester and Lancashire.
Perhaps more importantly than the size of the landlord is the change to the philosophy of the organisation. From a small charity providing affordable, decent accommodation to some of the poorest members of society, it has transformed into a company where the financial statement at the end of the year determines strategy.
The Decline of Social Rent Homes
Like all such commercial enterprises Onward boasts of its achievements, but dig as deep as I can, I am unable to find out how many new homes have been built for Social Rent (defined by government as less than half the amount of market rent). Instead, new homes seem to be offered at the much higher Affordable Rent level (up to 80% of market rent) or for sale. In its six years of existence, Onward has not increased its stock of Social Rent homes.
Worse, it is in the process of reducing them through a process of managed decline. Once they fall into squalor, it is easy to justify selling them off to property developers who refurbish the homes and market them to the more wealthy sector of the population.
In the process, the decanted tenants are moved on elsewhere, often to smaller flats, further from the centre of town and places Onward has had problems letting in the past. Homes which are more “appropriate for social tenants”.
Virtually everyone who spoke at the meeting gave examples of this managed decline. Leaking roofs, damp and mould, rat and mouse infestations, and sewage flooding properties. With kitchens and bathrooms left not replaced for decades, the homes are eventually condemned as unfit for human habitation. The partially boarded up properties give the area a run-down feel. And as each tenant is moved out, those who remain suffer an increasing sense of insecurity.
The job titles of the three representatives from Onward who attended the meeting reflect Onward’s real priorities and their agenda. They were the Neighbourhood Delivery Manager, the Director of Housing and Home Ownership, and the Executive Director of Property.
Tenants and Residents in Collective Action
Tenants and residents inevitably and understandably expressed their anger and frustration, but received bland platitudes in response. Onward’s representatives denied knowledge of the disrepairs or that Onward was divesting itself of these properties to generate profit (or surplus as they prefer to term it).
They claimed that the organisation was analysing the cost benefits of renovating to an acceptable standard, and if they believed what they were saying I can guarantee that not a single tenant in the room did.
To us, these properties are our homes. To Onward, they are a gold mine
There was no real conclusion to this meeting in reaching a resolution for tenants and residents, except the promise of another meeting in the new year. But whatever happens, with SHAC’s help, we want to use this opportunity to work as a collective to retain our homes in an appropriate condition and where we want to live. Our experiences are not unique to Onward, or even to housing associations in Liverpool. They are a microcosm of what is happening across the UK.
12 December 2023
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Very well written and welcome report on yes, what is happening across the UK in social rented homes by so called Social Landlords (not for profit).
Our social housing Landlord Anchor Hanover Group have an extra string to their bow when it comes to managed decline, surpluses and cover ups.
Illegal harassment and illegal eviction of innocent legitimate tenants that even squeek or speak up about basic contractual rights and responsibilities at social housing and/or service charge transparency.
Social Housing Landlords are adopting a very hard core and devious method of silencing tenants that dare to speak up about even the most basic things.
Fabricated neighbour disputes and illegal ASBO / Criminal convictions is one of their (Social Housing Landlords Anchor Hanover Group or Anchor as they are now marketing themselves as) dirty sneaky illegal underhanded methods to discredit, hound out and ruin tenants that speak up in social housing.
Anchor Hanover Group also uses massive demands to enter the home on made up repairs and a bombardment of immediiate entry requests to disturb and ruin ones reasonable use of the property.
We were left for almost a year with a leaking radiator that Anchor Hanover Group broke themselves so that they could ruin our flat with damp and mould to punish us for speaking up about service charges.
It turned out to be a 10 minute fix that they had left for over 8 months to leak and ruin our flat.
Another leak was created by Anchor hanover group contractors on Anchors behalf, to try and fabricate some blame so that we could be blamed for faulty works in the flat.
And an endless stream of attacks by this social landlord to ruin/evict/sicken and illegally evict us as honest respectable tenants with an exemplary record at social housing.
Despite contacting hundreds of authority figures in bousing, nobody is interested in addressing the increasing illegal behaviour by this social landlord in running multiple ASBO investigations against us for over 3 years, and allowing their stooge/goon/operator false neighbour dispute fabricator to attack a black lady tenant of impeccable character, with vicious and vile insults almost daily.
Retirement housing for over 55s is more like a gulag and internment camp run by very nasty bully landlords – with very serious nefarious and profit/surplus/illegal silencing and eviction cover up agendas.
Well said John Sadly this is true of all Housing Associations
but we must stick together and fight on
Thanks I live in the same neighbourhood for the last 12 years and rent with another housing association (Riverside). I honestly think that this is not an isolated incident exclusive to Onward within the Georgian Quarter.
Councillors Nicholas and Logan in my humble opinion need to seriously organise public meetings with tenants, residents, and representatives of housing associations within the whole neighbourhood.
Hi Chris – in our experience very few councillors or MPs really understand the complexities of the housing association sector as it is now. If such a meeting were being organised, SHAC would be happy to speak to them beforehand for a briefing.
Am making an educated guess based on attending a public meeting over student flats this year, its most like that Councillor Nicholas organised that Onward meeting.
Hi I’ve had an absolute nightmare with onward and am a resident of Huskisson st. Am still seeking conclusions to works raised from oct 2022. To whom do I need to pass all info to away from onward and this meeting? I’ve got to the end of my tether with Onward.
The way management(directors) delay, cause suffering and downright lie and hide is an absolute disgrace. I’ve had to call, email and attend their offences not out of choice but out of need and yet I still sit here today with the outstanding issues and frustrations. Our councillor I wish to thank, I asked her to convene the meeting given onward and the councils lack of undertaking for litter for example. It appears we’re all United and in agreement though about the maladministration this organisation offers.
I ask any of you out there, how many times have you had a call logged only for it to sit there with customer services and no response is ever forthcoming from the required party? How many complaints have you had closed without resolution? How many issues logged that have also just sat there?
Ian.Hulme@onward.co.uk (onward environmental services director)
Joanne.Danaher@onward.co.uk (Onward housing director)
+44 7825 008457
Chris.lomas@liverpool.gov.uk (Council environmental services director) bins, fly tipping etc