THE CONTROVERSIAL Homes board in charge of the council’s housing stock, Hounslow Homes Ltd, published its first company report at its first Annual General Meeting last week, defying recent criticisms of the disturbance caused by its recent work programme.

The Annual Report, entitled ‘Leading, Creating, Developing’, was launched at the AGM and it charts the progress of Hounslow Homes since it first began, highlighting some of the changes that have been made over the last year to improve and increase the level of service to Hounslow’s tenants.

Alf Chandler, Company Chair said, "I’m obviously very pleased to publish the first annual report for Hounslow Homes. The past 17 months since Hounslow Homes was formed have been a whirlwind of activity. We’ve made a positive start with the improvement programme and laid strong foundations to continue these improvements at a fast pace. I’m confident that we will reach our next goal of an ‘excellence’ rating and making every home ‘decent’ by 2006."

Hounslow Homes secured a two-star rating last year that unleashed a £90 million investment from the government. As a result 1,000 homes have already been made ‘decent’ and Hounslow Homes is on track to achieve ‘decency’ for all homes by 2006. Much of the refurbishment to date has involved bathroom and kitchen renovating - which hasn’t always been popular.

The company is due to publicise its capital works programme shortly for the next three years and announce their key preferred partners.

The programme will include an outline for residents about where and when work will take place and the nature of the improvement.

Partnership working has been a vital ingredient of the company’s success so far and they range from contractual partners that currently include United House, Balfont Beatty, Lovell and Connaught and community agencies such as the Learning and Skills Council, Housing Potential UK, Brentford Football Club, Surestart, the police and council departments.

A spokesman added: “A great deal of time and effort has been invested by Hounslow Homes in community working as part of its drive to create sustainable communities.” Claims labelled ‘a smokescreen’ PLANS by Hounslow Homes to refurbish council property have been damned as a "smoke screen" by an irate councillor.

Cllr Fred Muston has criticised the plans by the company for property in Silverhall Street and Summerwood Road as a "smoke screen to cover up its failures."

The outburst follows a rebuke by Alf Chandler, chairman of Hounslow Homes the arms-length management organisation for Hounslow Council, to the original claims of shoddy workmanship and unsatisfactory repairs.

Alf Chandler had promised to carry out a “full and thorough investigation", but Cllr Muston responded, saying: "By the following week, Mrs May [of Silverhall Street] has still not seen anybody from the Clerk of Works Department or a representative from Hounslow Homes to inspect works done within her home. She had the awful experience of 14 major faults such as spiking an electric cable which was within 3ft of a gas meter.” Cllr Muston has called on Mr Chandler to explain why there has been no contact between Hounslow Homes and the residents of Silverhall Street and said he would like to see "at least an attempt to comply with his fine words.

"Isn’t it true that the disinformation issued by Hounslow Homes is nothing but a smoke screen to cover up its failures? Isn’t it also true that the expediency displayed by Hounslow Homes is the cause of this disaster?"

However, a Hounslow Homes spokesman said: "In relation to recent renovation works carried out in Summerwood Road and Silver Hall Street, we are pleased to state that all resident concerns have been resolved. The residents have been offered compensation for any inconvenience caused."

He added: "To our knowledge, only one resident is dissatisfied with the compensation amount. A tenant liaison officer is visiting this resident tomorrow to investigate their claim for more money. Tenants requiring more information should contact their local tenant liaison officer."