A social housing group that managers homes in Bracknell has been blasted for ‘neglecting tenants’ and ‘leaving them without kitchens and working boilers’.

The claims come from Paul Day, of Wilstrode Avenue in Binfield, who has raised the issues facing him and his neighbours living in the cul de sac.

The 52 year old has slammed the social housing group -Southern Housing Group- after it submitted a plan to build 226 homes in Beaufort Park on the outskirts of Bracknell.

Mr Day argued Southern Housing Group should focus on repairing and managing its existing homes rather than spending money on the Beaufort Park project.

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He said: ” I have been a tenant for 16 years and over the past four [years] Southern Housing Group have bodged repairs and not carried out the duties as a social housing landlord.

“They ripped out all of the kitchens then the workforce disappeared for Christmas, leaving houses working kitchens for Christmas.

“Then they said they were going to replace windows and doors which are 25 years old and have wooden [parts], a lot of which are rotten.

“But instead of fixing it, their contract blokes are just painting over the rotten wood.

“No one on the management team will help us.

“People have been given boilers that haven’t worked for two to three weeks, and one of my neighbours has a boiler which makes so much noise it wakes me up at 5.30am in the morning.

“I don’t know why they are planning to build 226 homes near the crematorium. It’s a joke. Things are getting worse. It’s a nightmare.

“One woman has had scaffolding up for ages with broken roof tiles and they’ve not come out to repair it. We’re just at our wits end.

“The workers never do a repair, they just bodge it up until it needs fixing again.”

He added that he has written an objection to Southern Housing Group’s plan for 226 homes in Beaufort Park on Bracknell Forest Council’s planning portal as a sign of frustration.

You can view planning documents by typing reference 21/00986/FUL into the council’s planning portal here: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/

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A representative for Southern Housing Group has been keen to stress that it has multiple departments, including a housebuilding and house management team which are separate to each other and have different budgets and responsibilities.

Southern Housing Group director of Building Safety Suzanne Horsley said: “Our teams have been supporting our residents in Wilstrode Avenue, including during lockdown, and helping resolve any issues or concerns – such as making repairs to heating systems and ensuring that cyclical maintenance work is up to standard.

“We are always looking for ways to improve our services and we welcome feedback from residents.

“Our investment into existing buildings is entirely separate from our investments in new affordable homes.

“Southern Housing Group is a registered, charitable housing provider and does not make a profit.

“Developing new homes in Bracknell Forest means we can help meet the urgent need for affordable family homes and any surplus generated through the sale of new homes is reinvested back into maintaining our local services and properties.”