Social landlord plans staff cuts

One of Herefordshire’s largest social landlords is consulting with staff on cutting a number of jobs.

Connexus, which manages over 10,000 affordable rented homes in Herefordshire and Shropshire, is seeking the views of staff on whether to make redundant or redeploy an unspecified number of workers who are understood to be in trades and supervisory roles.

“Having reviewed the provision of services, it has been determined that we no longer require the painter and decorator multi-roles,” an internal Connexus document said last month.

This said the outcome of the consultation would be confirmed “by end of April”.

One employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the move by Connexus “will affect the customers and tenants which rent the homes and use the services they provide”.

The firm’s property director Fleur Whittingham said: “Connexus makes changes from time to time in order to provide the best and most effective services for customers.

“Discussions with colleagues are still at an early stage, with no decisions having been made.”

In an email to affected staff, Ms Whittingham added: “To strengthen our approach to Awaab’s Law, we will be proposing to recruit additional property surveyors.”

The law, which comes into force from October, will require social landlords to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould in prescribed time periods.

The company employed 543 full-time-equivalent staff in 2024, up from 523 the year before, according to its most recent annual report.

Its newly published Corporate Plan commits it to providing “up to 1,000” new homes by 2030, while “significantly improving” the quality and energy efficiency of its existing homes.