Welcome from Michelle

As I reflect on this past year, a period dominated by the uncertainties and challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is evident that our commitment to stand beside you, our residents, has remained firm.

Throughout the various lockdowns and restrictions, our teams across the country have continued to work harder and more innovatively than ever before; to not only keep the essential services that you rely on going but to persist in looking for ways that enhance our offer to you.

We are committed to delivering a high quality customer service and I am encouraged to see that we achieved 80% customer satisfcation over the last year. There is, of course, still progress to be made and despite our best intentions we don’t always get it right. However, we will strive to better your experience with us and always welcome any feedback you may have.

We know that you, our residents, are the best people to help us shape and improve our offer. Your knowledge, experiences and opinions are vital in ensuring that we are delivering the best quality services, driving up standards and meeting your needs. It is this belief that lies at the core of our new 'Resident Involvement Strategy', which offers a number of new or improved ways, either digitally or face-to-face, for you to get your voice heard. What has stayed the same is keeping our national, regional or local approach and our belief that no matter how much you are able to contribute, your input is always invaluable.

Having a repairs service you can depend on is essential and we worked hard to maintain this offer throughout the year, moving from critical repairs at the height of the pandemic, to a full provision from July. Whilst ensuring we kept both residents and staff safe, we carried out an average of 1,000 per working day, with most (93.8%)fixed first time, and exceeded our target with a satisfaction score of 88%. Furthermore, to enhance the customer experience, Clarion Response launched the 'On My Way app', which enables you to track the estimated time of arrival for repairs staff and provide instant feedback on the work completed.
You deserve to live in a good quality, safe and sustainable home that is taken care of over time. Our comprehensive planned investment programme devoted £75.5m towards making improvements and refurbishments to kitchens, bathrooms, roofs and new boilers, achieving a 92.8% resident satisfaction rate. We also established a 'Sustainable Development Roadmap' that paves the way to delivering zero carbon homes, and prioritises making our properties more energy efficient, which in turn will help residents with fuel bills.

We are proud to be a leading force in tackling the housing crisis, providing new and affordable homes and regenerating communities that last for generations to come and which people can be proud of. Despite the pandemic we built a record 2,126 homes and have progressed with each of our ambitious projects. This includes moving 21 residents into their new homes for social rent at Ravensbury in Merton, and beginning the second phase of the Sherwood Close regeneration, which will deliver 106 affordable new homes.

At the very heart of Clarion are you, our customers, and I am passionate about delivering the highest standards in every area. We have endured such a challenging year and it has been an extremely difficult time for so many of us, but looking back at all we have achieved together is testament to our strength and determination. As the country recovers from the pandemic, we will continue supporting you, listening to you, investing in our homes and communities, and improving our services, whatever is around the corner.

Michelle Reynolds
Housing Association Chief Operating Officer