Speaker key
IV Interviewer
SH Sylvester Hilton
SH My name is Sylvester Hilton and I work in the environment housing department.
IV What are the advantages to remaining a local authority landlord? How does this benefit housing staff?
SH The main advantage of retaining the housing stock is we know the majority of our tenants, the tenants are comfortable with how we manage the stock, they are familiar with the way, how we manage, and they are comfortable in our style of management. That benefits the housing staff because we recognise the value of our tenants and we know how they like to be managed, and they are comfortable in the way, how we respond to the service that we provide.
IV Can you tell us a little more about Southwark’s housing stock?
SH The housing stock in Southwark is a mixture of high rise dwellings, medium rise dwellings and a large proportion of street properties. There are approximately 55,000 dwellings, of which 40,000 are tenanted and 15,000 are leasehold. And as I've said it’s spread throughout the borough and it’s mainly high rise, medium rise and street properties.
IV What are the key challenges for housing in Southwark?
SH The key challenges for housing in Southwark is to make properties within Southwark up to the government’s accredited decent home standard. This is making sure that every tenant has the opportunity to a decent home which they can feel comfortable in managing and having the ability to live in an area that they are comfortable with.
IV What role is the housing team playing in the transformation of communities, such as Aylesbury and the Heygate?
SH The housing team are looking at the wider issue of the facilities that the authority wants to advocate for the tenants. So it’s not just looking at housing, it’s looking at the support services like education, health, and obviously with the housing stock, they are looking to decant tenants in order that the long term strategy is to re-house and rebuild on the housing side.
IV Why do you I think people should join Southwark?
SH We have a very good work life balance. The pay is not too bad, the conditions are quite good and it’s a place well worth coming to.
IV What is Southwark’s position on flexible working and family policies?
SH Southwark’s position on flexible working hours and the family position, it gives us the opportunity to work around our family commitments and helps us to start and finish to accommodate our working life around the service that we provide.
IV What are the training and development opportunities like within your department/service area?
SH The training opportunities in Southwark are very good. It offers staff the opportunity to go on post entry training courses to develop their careers. We also have in-house training courses that will supplement and help and assist the skills and opportunities that staff have within Southwark.
[tape ends]
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