The GreenSquareAccord Conspiracy

Introduction

I have always been intrigued by a good conspiracy theory, and while some of the more outlandish ones don't hold up to logic, many that I first learned about as a curious child and teenager have ended up being proven true, to some degree.

For instance, I firmly believe that there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President Kennedy. There were too many people who stood to gain from his removal from office for it to have been a lone gunman. I think it was likely a consortium of individuals from the military industrial complex, the mafia, disgruntled CIA agents, Cubans, and of course with support from J. Edgar Hoover.

Likewise, I believe that the assassination of Bobby Kennedy was also the result of a conspiracy. There were too many bullets for it to have been the work of one gunman, and Sirhan Sirhan was standing in front of Robert Kennedy when the fatal shot came from behind. It's clear that many people had too much to lose if he were to take office.

Looking at the aftermath of Bobby Kennedy's assassination, it's clear that it had far-reaching consequences. It led to events like Watergate, Kent State, the escalation of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, which enabled the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields, and the war on drugs, to name just a few.

When it comes to other conspiracy theories, however, I'm less convinced. For instance, I don't believe that the moon landings were faked. Too many intelligent people have confirmed that this happened, and I see no reason to doubt them.

Likewise, I don't believe in the flat earth theory. There simply isn't enough evidence to support it, and I can't see what anyone would gain by convincing people that the Earth is flat.

But what does all of this have to do with the GreenSquareAccord conspiracy? In this blog post, I'll explain.

The Burger Restaurant that couldn’t sell burgers

An example to provide some insight, a point of view if you will.

it's a lovely Wednesday evening, and you decide to treat your family to a meal at a new burger restaurant in town. You've heard amazing things about this place; friendly staff, rave reviews, a company logo promising to put the customer first, what could possibly go wrong?

You eagerly order the Happy Burgers from the menu for the whole family and hand over your hard-earned cash to the smiling server. They assure you that your food will be ready soon, so you sit down with your family and chat excitedly whilst you wait for your dinner.

But as the minutes tick by, your stomachs start grumbling louder than your kids' complaints. You head back to the counter to check on your order, and the oh-so-friendly server apologies and says it won't be much longer.

This happens a few more times, with the server's smile slowly fading with each interaction. Finally, you're getting fed up (pun intended) and ask to speak to a manager, that's when things really go downhill.

The once-friendly server suddenly becomes sarcastic and rude, telling you to sit down and stop causing a scene.

Your food never arrives, and when you ask for a refund, you're met with excuses about the broken burger machine and staff shortages due to sickness and holiday, and you can't have a refund because there's no manager on duty.

Weeks later, you receive a condescending letter from the restaurant, scolding you for being rude and causing a disturbance. And when you take to social media to share your experience, you're blocked and threatened with legal action.

Now, imagine if you had to go to that same restaurant every Wednesday, and every Wednesday you experienced the same treatment, the same inability to provide you and your family with a burger, the same waste of your hard-earned money.

Where is the conspiracy?

This is all very well but where is the conspiracy I hear you ask.

If a restaurant failed to deliver on its fundamental service of providing burgers to paying customers, it would face severe consequences. Such a business would struggle to retain customers, and ultimately face the risk of being shut down.

Moreover, an inability to provide food raises significant concerns about the establishment's adherence to health & safety, and food hygiene regulations, which would be a cause for further scrutiny. Given these potential red flags, it would be reasonable to question the management's competency to handle the financial aspects of the company. Ultimately, it is unlikely that such an enterprise would be permitted to continue operating in such a manner.

Housing Crisis

As we are all aware, there is an urgent need for new homes throughout the UK. However, according to a report released by the Public Accounts Committee, the UK government is unlikely to meet its affordable homes housebuilding targets. The report revealed that the government is expected to fall short by 32,000 homes in its 2016 and 2021 affordable homes building programmes.

Unfortunately, where there is a crisis, someone will inevitably profit. GreenSquareAccord is one such company that is actively bidding on new developments to meet their own target of providing affordable housing.

The company has employed a clever tactic to help them win bids: they have overseen the UK's first development of virtually plastic-free homes. This project, which saw the construction of 12 affordable one-bedroom apartments, was built using plastic-free alternatives to minimise environmental impact. It was the first of its kind in Europe, transforming a former factory car park into new homes for local residents.

The project used timber panels from GreenSquareAccord's low-carbon manufacturing facility, LoCaL Homes, and incorporated plastic-free alternatives such as wooden kitchen units and aluminium window frames, mineral-based insulation for wiring, and solar thermal heating systems to provide low running costs. The £1.2m EU-funded project was completed in March 2022 and aimed to pave the way for a future of plastic-free construction.

In 2019, GreenSquareAccord introduced its corporate strategy, "Simply Brilliant," where they aimed to become a great landlord while building more affordable homes. The strategy emphasised the company's commitment to providing low-cost homes for rent and shared ownership that are safe, affordable, and located in desirable neighbourhoods.

The company set a goal to deliver 1,500 new homes for affordable rent and ownership by 2023, but it looks unlikely they’ll reach this target.

it seems clear that GreenSquareAccord must be allowed to build new homes, which effectively renders local councils and MPs impotent in curtailing the activities of this and other housing providers. It is unfortunate that despite their shortcomings, GreenSquareAccord is still permitted and sponsored by the state to build new homes.

What are (some of) the failures?

While I have made various claims regarding the systemic failures at GreenSquareAccord, it is important to examine the upheld complaints listed on the Housing Ombudsman website. It is worth noting that all of these complaints were under the GreenSquareAccord banner and not under GreenSquare or Accord. It is also important to acknowledge that there may be additional upheld complaints that have not yet been published on the Housing Ombudsman website.  This is, so to speak, the tip of the iceberg.

20 July 2021 - The Housing Ombudsman Scheme found no maladministration by the landlord regarding the safety of the storage heaters in the resident's property. However, there was service failure in the landlord's handling of the associated complaint, as they did not fully address the points raised by the resident. The landlord is ordered to apologise to the resident within 28 days and explain the measures that could be taken to minimise risks when using the storage heaters in the future.

23 December 2021 - The Housing Ombudsman made several determinations in relation to the landlord's handling of the resident's concerns about window glass installation, information provided by contractors, outstanding repairs, a reported leak, and the complaint handling process. The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's concerns about the window glass or response to concerns about the information provided by contractors. However, there was maladministration in the length of time the repairs had been outstanding and the landlord's handling of the reported leak and complaint. The Ombudsman cited a lack of evidence and thorough investigation in the landlord's submissions. As orders, the landlord is to pay compensation totalling £500 and provide an itemised schedule of works with approximate completion dates.

12 May 2022 - The Housing Ombudsman found that there was no maladministration by the landlord in relation to the bathroom repair works or the resident's request for compensation, but there was maladministration in the way the complaint was handled. The landlord is ordered to pay the resident £200 for the additional time and trouble caused. It is recommended that the landlord reviews its staff's training needs and record-keeping practices to prevent similar service failures in the future.

17 January 2022 - The Housing Ombudsman has found that the landlord failed to handle the resident's reports of draughty windows appropriately. Although there were some delays caused by Covid-19, the length of time it took to resolve the issue was unreasonable, and the landlord did not offer compensation during the complaints process. Therefore, the Ombudsman has ordered the landlord to pay the resident £150 in compensation and to comply with the order within four weeks.

17 September 2022 - The Housing Ombudsman has found maladministration by the landlord in handling a resident's reports of a leak and subsequent repairs. The Ombudsman has ordered the landlord to pay the resident £448.86, broken down into various components including compensation for the failure to correctly identify the leak as an emergency and the delay in completing subsequent repairs. The landlord must also conduct a review of its handling of repairs and its record-keeping process. The Ombudsman has made recommendations for the landlord to conduct training exercises for its operatives and to ensure a detailed audit trail can be provided.

20 November 2022 - The Housing Ombudsman found maladministration by the landlord in its handling of a resident's concerns about an unsafe and unusable garden. An order was made for the landlord to pay £200 compensation to the resident within 28 days for any distress and inconvenience caused due to delays in responding to the complaint and inspecting the garden. The landlord was also ordered to carry out a review of its complaint handling and record keeping processes to reduce the likelihood of a similar situation occurring in the future.

7 December 2022 - The Housing Ombudsman found service failure by the landlord in the way it handled the resident's report of heating issues and in handling the complaint. The landlord did not commit maladministration in handling the request for a wood-burning stove. The orders include paying the resident £200 compensation for the heating issues and £100 compensation for complaint handling failures.

It's important to note that GreenSquareAccord doesn't always correctly escalate complaints, and many residents won't make the effort to escalate to the Housing Ombudsman. As stated above, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

But where is the conspiracy?

In 2021, GreenSquareAccord earned £2,135,000 from the sale of properties, which represents a decrease of approximately £158,000 compared to the previous year. In 2022, they made a profit of just £3,751 from property sales.

Following reports of inadequate safety measures in 12 flats for vulnerable residents in Birmingham, GreenSquareAccord is now considering selling this properties. This has raised concerns about whether the company is neglecting its buildings and failing to address reported issues, despite continuing to charge Birmingham City Council.

GreenSquareAccord's 2021 promise to "be a simply brilliant landlord by improving customer experience, delivering homes and places to be proud of, making GreenSquare a great place to work, and delivering value for money for our customers" appears to be falling short.

However, GreenSquareAccord claims to carefully evaluate the condition of its properties and may consider selling them if it is not economically feasible to bring them up to standard.

So the question remains as to whether GreenSquareAccord is using the service charge to generate revenue without providing the promised level of service, ultimately selling off unviable properties when they become too much of a financial burden. Thus profiting as they allow the buildings, our homes, to become uninhabitable blemishes in our communities.

And that sounds like a conspiracy.  It can’t be true.  Can it?

Like all good conspiracy theories you must consider who gains, you must follow the money…