New government appointee will act independently to support social housing tenants who make complaints.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that Andrea Keenoy will be the new interim Housing Ombudsman, heading the independent service that investigates complaints from people living in social housing about issues such as damp, repairs or poor treatment by landlords. The ombudsman also has the power to order action to put things right.
Ms Keenoy has been appointed from within the Housing Ombudsman service, where she has worked since 2015. She is currently Chief Operating Officer and will lead the service as of August 1, following the departure of Richard Blakeway. The government will seek to appoint a full-time Housing Ombudsman in due course.
Andrea Keenoy, new interim Housing Ombudsman, says: ‘Our priority is to ensure continuity and stability for residents, landlords and our colleagues, and to maintain a high standard of service.
‘Richard Blakeway led the Ombudsman during a period of intense scrutiny on social housing. From leading the conversation around damp and mould to bringing consistency to complaint handling across all landlords, the changes in attitudes and service delivery he has driven have been significant. I look forward to leading the organisation through this next chapter while we await the appointment of the next Housing Ombudsman.’
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government, adds: ‘Andrea has played a key role in improving the Housing Ombudsman Service and brings a valuable decade of experience as a senior leader helping to shape the organisation. I’m pleased to appoint her to this role, which will bring much needed continuity and support as we work to make a substantive appointment to the role.
‘I’d like to thank Richard for his leadership during a period of growing demand and change across the sector.’
Photo by Adrien Olichon / Unsplash.
In related news:
Three Lions to take over Millennium Square for semi-final showdown
Homelessness to rise by 50,000 without government action, report warns
Leave a Reply