New Housing Directorate will improve standards and accountability

The council’s new administration has decided that a dedicated Housing Directorate will be created to tackle complex long-standing issues around housing standards, delivery of new homes, homelessness prevention and increased demand for temporary accommodation.

An interim Executive Director of Housing, Bob Granville, has been appointed, and recruitment for the permanent role will start immediately. The Directorate will operate within the shared staffing arrangements for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, while recognising that Wandsworth’s housing improvement agenda is the principal driver for the change.

The new directorate will be responsible for the more than 32,000 homes it manages. It will oversee an extensive Housing Improvement and Transformation Plan set up following a ruling by the Regulator of Social Housing in February 2025 that Wandsworth must make significant improvements.

The key aim is to strengthen the voice of tenants and leaseholders in decision making and to improve housing safety, repairs, and maintenance. The Directorate will ensure a direct line of accountability from residents, through to frontline housing services and senior council leadership, so that the experiences of tenants and leaseholders inform decisions around service priorities and investment.

Success will be measured through improvements to Tenant Satisfaction Measures, and in safer and better-maintained homes, more responsive services, and stronger resident engagement.

The new Directorate will also provide greater support to leaseholders. The council will review and improve the repayment terms for major works for owner occupier leaseholders, and increase service charge transparency for both leaseholders and council tenants.

The Directorate will take action to prevent homelessness and reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation, improving outcomes for them and cutting costs for council taxpayers. This will help Wandsworth Council manage stretched budgets by providing the focus needed on homelessness.

The work of the new Directorate will sit alongside a new focus on working collaboratively with developers to create the conditions for the construction of new homes across the borough. It will also strengthen its support to housing association residents to ensure they are provided with a decent service.

Wandsworth Council Leader Robert Morritt said: “A safe and well managed home is vitally important for all Wandsworth residents, and the foundation stone for a successful, healthy life.

“This new administration is refocusing the council on delivering higher standards for the benefit of existing tenants and leaseholders. As part of that, we will give residents more say in the management of their homes.

“The amount the council spends on temporary accommodation every year has risen by almost 700% since 2020. Our new Housing Directorate will give this issue the attention it needs and ensure we get better value for taxpayers' money.

“The creation of a dedicated Housing Directorate is a huge step forward in addressing the previous failures of the council in Housing, and giving our residents the high-quality service they deserve"