THE vast majority of council tenants in York remain satisfied with the city’s housing services – but that number has fallen.

City of York Council’s 2008 annual housing satisfaction survey has revealed that the proportion of respondents who were very, or fairly, satisfied with the service dropped from 87.7 per cent in 2007, to 85.2 per cent last year. In 2006, 80 per cent said they were very, or fairly, satisfied. The poll, which was posted to 2,350 tenants selected at random, revealed that the proportion of those who were satisfied with the council as a landlord decreased from 88 per cent in 2007 to 74 per cent last year.

The research also showed that 84 per cent of the respondents – 1,220 tenants took part – were very, or fairly, satisfied with the condition of their homes.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, York Labour group’s housing spokeswoman, said: “The report clearly shows that residents are not as pleased as they have been with the overall service.

“As only a sample of residents are surveyed the true picture may be worse, and that is the feeling I have had from some residents over the past year.

“Residents have said it is hard to get hold of council staff, that some of the work done under the Decent Homes programme has been shoddy, and that they feel that problem residents are not dealt with quickly enough.” The poll revealed that, in terms of contacting housing services, 76 per cent thought getting hold of the right person was easy. But, with regard to getting in touch with the department about anti-social behaviour issues, that figure was only 56 per cent.

It showed that the proportion of those who were satisfied with the repairs service - 83 per cent – remained the same as in the 2007 survey. But 13 per cent were dissatisfied, compared with 12 per cent in 2007.

A report by council officers, which went before councillors on Tuesday, said: “Efforts will be concentrated on understanding the reasons for this, including work with focus groups and customer panels.” The survey showed that, between 2006 and 2008, the proportion of those who were satisfied with the outcome of their report of antisocial behaviour rose from 33 per cent to 44 per cent.

Coun Sue Galloway, the authority’s executive member for housing and adult social services, said: “The council invested £3.6 million in 2008/09 to improve the condition of council homes in the city and continues to do so, the latest example of this being the Tenants Choice Scheme in Tang Hall, and outlying villages. To get an overall satisfaction level of 85 per cent reflects this investment.

“We look forward to working with tenants and involving them through the federation to improve services in the future.”