SNG complaints are 'largest source' of MP's casework

Luke Murphy, MP for Basingstoke, has revealed that Sovereign Network Group’s performance on everyday housing repairs is now the “largest single source of casework” in his office.

In a letter to SNG’s group chief executive Mark Washer, Mr Murphy warned that the landlord’s record on maintenance and complaints is directly eroding confidence in its plans to regenerate Buckskin and South Ham.

He said he is dealing with an “all too regular” stream of cases involving “complaints ignored, wait times running into months or years, missed appointments, wrong jobs, or poor repairs that mean starting the whole process again”

Luke Murphy MP speaks about the Buckskin and South Ham regeneration in Parliament (Image: Parliament)

He noted this experience matches SNG’s own Tenant Satisfaction Measures, published last November, which show the organisation performing worse than the national average on overall satisfaction, its repairs service, the time taken to complete repairs, home maintenance, listening to residents and complaints handling.

The social housing regulator has separately identified “weaknesses” in SNG’s delivery of an effective, efficient and timely repairs service, and failures to meet complaints-handling timescales.

Mr Murphy said those findings confirm what residents have been telling him for months: “Residents struggle to believe SNG can deliver a regeneration of this scale when it is struggling to deliver day-to-day repairs.”

Luke Murphy MP speaks about the Buckskin and South Ham regeneration in Parliament (Image: Parliament)

He warned that unless residents see and feel “a genuine change in their day-to-day experience of SNG as their landlord, the credibility of this entire regeneration project will continue to be undermined”.

SNG said complaints performance had improved from 75 per cent responded to within its own timescales in 2024/25 to more than 93 per cent in the first quarter of 2026/27, and that overall satisfaction among social rent customers had risen to 65.1 per cent — still leaving around a third dissatisfied.

The housing association has launched a new corporate plan promising “the best customer experience in social housing”, but admits trust “is earned through actions” and that residents “are right to expect us to get the basics right”.

Nicole Sharp, chief customer officer at SNG said: "We understand the concerns raised by Luke Murphy MP and, where customers have experienced delays, poor communication or service that has fallen below expectations, we recognise the frustration and disappointment this causes. We're sorry when this happens. 

“We acknowledged the areas for improvement identified by the Regulator of Social Housing and have taken decisive action to strengthen our services. As the largest housing provider in Mr Murphy's constituency, we support thousands of customers across Basingstoke and receive a significant volume of enquiries and requests for support.

"However, we know that what matters most to residents is receiving a reliable service and having confidence that concerns will be addressed.

“Residents are right to expect us to get the basics right, and we recognise that their experience of day-to-day services influences how they feel about wider plans and investment in their communities.

"Trust is earned through actions, which is why improving repairs, maintenance and complaints handling remains a key priority for us.

“We have invested significantly in improving our services, strengthening how we learn from complaints and introducing clearer customer commitments.

"As a result, complaints performance improved from 75 per cent of complaints responded to within our published timescales in 2024/25 to 87 per cent in 2025/26, and to more than 93 per cent in the first quarter of 2026/27.

"Our latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures, published in July 2026, also show improvement across a number of key areas, with overall customer satisfaction among social rent customers increasing to 65.1 per cent, up from 63.1 per cent the previous year.

“Earlier this month, we launched a new Corporate Plan with a clear ambition to deliver the best customer experience in social housing.

"This includes improving the quality of homes, taking a more proactive approach to maintenance and delivering simpler, more connected services for customers.

“While we know there is more to do, we remain committed to listening to residents, learning from feedback and delivering the high-quality services our customers expect and deserve.

"We have responded to Luke Murphy MP and will continue to engage constructively with him on issues raised by residents. As a matter of principle, however, we do not comment publicly on private correspondence."