RBH to spend £45m on improving homes and pauses plans for College Bank

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing is to plough a further £45m into improving its existing homes after telling a former top exec her role is ‘no longer needed’.

The housing association has also paused work on its plans for College Bank whilst it conducts a detailed review. This pause includes the plans for refurbishment of the Underwood block and the plans for priority rehousing.

The landlord was shamed over the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak last year, after an inquest found he died as a direct result of ‘extensive’ black mould at his RBH home on the town’s Freehold estate.

The tragedy led to the sacking of RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick, whose interim replacement – Yvonne Arrowsmith – was tasked with turning the housing association around.

Ms Arrowsmith set out details of a two-year ‘recovery plan’ earlier this year – including spending £2m on a damp and mould ‘taskforce’ and £1.2m on improving ventilation at the Freehold estate alone.

And in a significant development, RBH has now announced that it will be investing a further £45 million in its existing homes over the next five years.

It comes as the organisation confirmed it had parted ways with former top executive Clare Tostevin.

Ms Tostevin was paid £127,000 in 2021-22 – but the organisation now says its focus on improving existing homes, means ‘her role overseeing growth is no longer needed’.

Housing secretary Michael Gove’s decision to withhold £1m funding from RBH until ‘it can prove it is a responsible landlord’ – constraining housebuilding for the foreseeable future – appears to have been a factor in her exit.

Yvonne Arrowsmith, Interim RBH Chief Executive, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have committed to everyone having the right to a quality home, and as we deliver our recovery plan, we have been looking at the issues that we know need to be resolved.

“As a result, the RBH Board have agreed to invest an additional £45 million in our existing homes over the next five years.

“We are also accelerating our programme of replacement of kitchens, bathrooms, and central heating systems so that work scheduled to take place over the next seven years will instead be completed in four to five years.”

Ms Arrowsmith added that the landlord had also commissioned a condition survey of all its homes, so bosses are clear on what investment is needed in future. “This is great news for RBH tenants,” she said.

“While we concentrate on the quality of our existing homes, we have paused our plans to develop new homes. We need to get our existing homes right first.”

 

 

The organisation’s decision to prioritise its existing stock ahead of building new homes means its controversial town centre masterplan – including dropping four of the landmark ‘Seven Sisters’ tower blocks, remains on hold.

Ms Arrowsmith added: “We are reviewing what work needs to happen to complete the regeneration of Lower Falinge, and we have decided to pause work on our plans for College Bank while we conduct a detailed review, to see if there are any alternative plans that will better meet the needs of residents and the local community.”

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, has welcomed the continued rethink over plans to demolish four of the Seven Sisters at College Bank.

“I’m happy that RBH are still looking into keeping the Seven Sisters,” he said.

“It’s much-needed social housing in our borough that we can’t lose at this point. We have 8,000 applications on the waiting list, which equates to 22,000 people. This is very positive news to hear.”

Those sentiments are shared by College Bank Support Group – long-time campaigners against the ‘the wasteful and widely opposed demolition plans’ for the Seven Sisters.

Chair Mark Slater said: “Having had meetings with both Yvonne Arrowsmith and her colleague Dick Mortimer we are reassured at this stage by the change of direction the new management team is putting in place and addressing the mistakes that the RBH has made over the years.

“The pause in the work on College Bank is also welcomed by the wider community. With approximately 500 empty homes on the estate and a waiting list of 8,000 applications – around 20,000 individuals – from people in temporary accommodation, bed and breakfast, sofa surfing or simply homeless, refurbishment and the release of these homes cannot come quickly enough.”

RBH has said that it expects the review will be completed by the summer and that it will share the results of the review with College Bank residents as well as holding an in-person event to answer any questions.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service