"We've had all sorts of problems," David Robinson says, standing next to an empty patch of wall in his home.

The area had been left covered in mould, and after claiming to have battled the issue for years, he felt he had no choice but to remove it himself.

David's home, on Gipsy Lane, is managed by a social housing provider called Stockport Homes.

He lives there with wife Lucy and her mother Pamela. They moved into the house four years ago and he claims they've experienced several issues with the company.

When he reported the ripped wallpaper to Stockport Homes, the family were told a plasterer had been arranged – but after waiting all day they claim the tradesperson never turned up.

Another incident happened two years ago, when the family say they were sent to Blackpool and put up in a caravan for a week while their bathroom was repaired – but they claim there are still issues with it now.

Stockport Homes apologised to the family and rescheduled the plasterer for February 10, having previously told David they could not come until June.

Workers attended the property on the date to do the plastering and returned the next day to complete it, the company said.

It added that plumbers had completed repairs on January 27 and that, as far as they are aware, all issues with the bathroom have now been resolved. They also said they carried out some work last year following reports of damp and mould.

A spokesperson from the firm told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), that it "completely understands how frustrating this must be for Mr. Robinson and his family", and that it is "sorry for any inconvenience they've experienced."

But David's story is one example from a seemingly growing number of residents who are reporting problems with Stockport Homes.

The company manages more than 12,000 properties in the borough and is owned by the council, but operates independently as an arms-length management organisation (ALMO).

Set up in 2005 to improve the quality of council housing in the borough, it has since grown into Stockport's biggest landlord.

But some councillors say their inboxes and phones are flooded with complaints from frustrated tenants, mostly around a lack of repairs or not being able to find a suitable home.

Another Stockport Homes tenant – 70-year-old Christine Smith who lives in Hollywood Towers in Edgeley – told the LDRS last year about problems with the security gate outside her building.

A year later she said the issue had still not been sorted, although Stockport Homes said it has since completed the repairs and is working with customers to test fob access.

Issues like this are at the heart of a question which has gripped the council in recent months – can the ALMO model deliver the type of services tenants deserve?

James Frizzell is a Stockport Green Party councillor in the Reddish South ward, where the Lancashire Hill estate is located – a huge site managed by Stockport Homes.

The area is home to hundreds of residents living in blocks which were first built in the late 1960s. But there have been numerous complaints about a backlog of repairs and incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area.

In October 2023, the LDRS visited Lancashire Hill and found evidence of fly-tipping and a lack of basic repairs.

Tenants, who wanted to speak anonymously, said they had reported the problems to Stockport Homes but felt they were being ignored.

David Robinson, who lives in a Stockport Homes building (Image - Jason Roberts)

Cllr Frizzell said the estate needs urgent attention to improve things for residents, including creating a vision for the future of the site.

"There are so many forces working against social housing at the moment, it's a crisis, everyone knows that," he said.

"As far as the review goes, it says there's finally going to be some resource to create a plan for Lancashire Hill, there's been a hold on things being done at the site because of this.

"This plan was for 2028 and the reality is that we still don't know what the plan is and nothing has been discussed with us, and I would really like that to change, I am hoping that some real concrete actions come from this.

"Everyone is aware that the quality of life for residents is not what it should be with the infrastructure and a crumbling estate.

"The lifts are not reliable, there are issues with the heating, last year the heating broke down completely for a few days during the coldest days of the year.

"People are suffering from the lack of investment in infrastructure and my concern is what are we going to do to address these issues. I really hope this report brings about serious change, not just in the future but in the coming months and years."

His Stockport Green Party colleague Cllr Gary Lawson – leader of the party locally – said "sooner or later we are looking at rebuilding" the whole Lancashire Hill estate.

Complaints to councillors about alleged regular problems at Stockport Homes properties led to a vote last year to launch an independent review of the company and ALMO model.

A report by Deloitte with the findings of this review was published in January, and offered some insight into how the company is performing.

Despite the apparent number of complaints, the review found that Stockport Homes is a 'high performing' organisation and offers good value for money.

Deloitte also recommended that the existing ALMO model be continued, and warned that bringing the service back in-house under council control would 'run the risk of undermining current high performance.'

But it also found a 'disconnect' between performance data and feedback from councillors, and a need to improve how the organisation is run.

Tenant surveys by Stockport Homes are largely done in person with its own staff – but the review suggested that anonymous online surveys could see satisfaction levels drop.

As Cllr Lawson put it: "On paper feedback from tenants is great, but that doesn't match up with what people say when we speak to them."

Stockport Labour leader Cllr David Meller said: "We call into question how Stockport Homes implements its customer satisfaction surveys. We have concerns about how well they capture the lived experiences of tenants and crucially, it's unclear how these survey results are used to inform decision-making and address areas of concern."

The review also highlighted a perceived culture of 'defensiveness' and a 'lack of accountability' at Stockport Homes when dealing with concerns raised by councillors.

It revealed a 'lack of timely communication during repairs and complaints' which has created 'significant anxiety and uncertainty for tenants' and contributed to 'eroding trust.'

The report listed a number of recommendations for improvement, including regular performance reviews, better communication between the council and Stockport Homes, and more accountability.

Cllr Matt Wynne, leader of the Edgeley Community Association (ECA) on Stockport council, has reported regular concerns to Stockport Homes around the management of the York Street Estate and Hollywood Towers which sit in the ward.

Cllr Wynne said there are serious concerns about accountability and tenant happiness at the organisation.

He told the LDRS: "From doing our own investigations it's clear there are discrepancies in both how this performance data is collected and how accurate.

"In the nine months since the review has been called my group and tenants report has been no noticeable improvement in how it works, communicates with tenants or how it will address these problems. There is little accountability at present.

"It is not performing as a public landlord, tenants do not feel they are getting a good deal and the trust and confidence in the relationship from both tenants and [council] members is low."

The concerns have come at a time when housing is top on the agenda in the corridors of Stockport town hall.

Last year, the government imposed higher housebuilding targets in Stockport, telling the council to build up to 2,000 a year to keep up with demand – double the previous target.

But the Lib Dem administration running the council have said this risks destroying the green belt and taking decision-making away from local residents and councillors.

Meanwhile, there are at least 8,000 households on the borough's social housing register, which has up to a 12-year wait, and rising levels of homelessness.

Stockport Labour group called for the review of the ALMO model at the council's budget meeting in February 2024.

It was put forward as an amendment to the Lib Dem budget proposals, and accepted by all parties during the meeting.

After the findings of the review, Cllr Meller urged Stockport Homes and the council to take "urgent action" to turn things around.

He said he "won't hesitate to call for further measures" to Stockport Homes if tenants don't start seeing "tangible progress and improvements."

Part of his group's suggestions include setting up a new scrutiny committee specifically focused on housing, which would review progress being made in the borough to improve things for social housing tenants.

An empty patch of wall in David Robinson's Gipsy Lane property (Image - Jason Roberts)

The Stockport Labour leader added: "While the report acknowledges some areas of strong performance – something we welcome – it highlights shortcomings that have eroded residents' trust in SHG and the council's ability to oversee housing provision effectively.

"The findings present a clear mandate for reform. We fully support the recommendation to reset the management agreement between Stockport Council and SHG, which will ensure the council – and therefore residents – drive SHG's priorities and set its direction.

"This is a crucial step, clarifying roles and responsibilities while fostering a shared vision for the future. It will ensure residents' needs are central to decision-making and address critical gaps in governance and oversight."

ECA leader Matt Wynne said: "Sound estate management, ensuring a fair deal from service charges, ensuring bad tenant behaviour is dealt with robustly, better communication and ensuring all homes and buildings are free from disrepair.

"This is the baseline. It is difficult to see from my perspective how ALMO's have a future post-Grenfell report that came out at the end of the inquiry in 2024.

"Public housing, the management and building of council homes are too important to leave at arms length given the mess we are in in this Borough.

"The consensus is to give this another shot. Fresh eyes at the top would, I think, be a positive show of intent if we are going to see a 'reset' through a new management agreement."

Mark Roberts, Stockport council's deputy leader, said the issues around social housing in the borough ultimately boil down to underfunding from Westminster.

"There is currently a housing crisis, there are not sufficient funds available to councils to build enough social housing to meet need, and this can only be solved through central government intervention and funding," he explained.

Funds for maintenance jobs and repairs are "constrained," he said, but added that Stockport Homes "should and can deliver a better service" for its tenants.

"We believe that the measures set out in the report agreed this week will help with that."

He added: "We are at the start of a journey of improvement following this review. It will take time for the new structures to come into place, be tested and bed in.

"During this phase we need members of all political groups to do what we do best in Stockport, work constructively together in the best interests of the borough and its residents to deliver what we can within the constraints we face.

"Whilst that is happening it is imperative that Stockport Homes work hard with ward councillors to ensure that outstanding repairs and complaints are addressed, that progress is made with the large scale and long-standing issues such as Lancashire Hill, and that the faith some councillors have lost can be restored in short order.

"We are also very keen to explore how we increase the accountability of all social housing providers across the borough."

A Stockport Homes spokesperson said: "Stockport Homes Group is pleased that the review recognises our strengths as a high-performing, value-for-money organisation.

"As with any review, it highlights areas for improvement, and we know there is more to do— especially in ensuring tenants' voices are heard at every level. We're committed to working closely with Stockport council and members to address these areas following the discussion of the report at the council's scrutiny meeting on February 3 and cabinet meeting on February 4.

"Our focus remains on working to improve the lives of our customers and ensure we continue to provide the best possible housing services for our customers."

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