The GSA Way ‘Claims vs Reality'
In a recent appearance on the Housing Collective podcast, GreenSquareAccord CEO Ruth Cooke painted a picture of a housing association guided by values, driven by strategy, and committed to listening to its residents. She spoke at length about culture, accountability, leadership, and even offered reflections on past failures. But when her carefully crafted words are held up against the lived experience of GSA’s tenants, a very different image comes into view.
Let’s explores the growing chasm between the promises made by Ruth Cooke and the actual practices of GreenSquareAccord. The rhetoric is polished. The reality? Deeply concerning.
1. "We Listen to Residents"
Ruth says: "Every single contact with a customer is the customer telling us something about our organisation."
Reality: GSA has been repeatedly criticised by tenants for failing to respond to emails, ignoring phone calls, and evading direct communication. Residents have been banned from contacting the organisation after raising too many complaints, and some have faced retaliatory legal threats. In one case, a mother dealing with raw sewage in her home was ignored for months.
2. "We’ve Reflected and Learnt from the Merger"
Ruth says: “If we did it again, we’d approach due diligence very differently.”
Reality: While Cooke acknowledges mistakes during the GSA merger, serious issues remain unresolved. Building safety data was found to be unreliable years into the merger, and the organisation has been cited for multiple severe maladministration findings by the Housing Ombudsman – including over fire safety, disrepair, and rat infestations. Reflection is not enough; residents want accountability and resolution.
3. "We’re Investing in Homes"
Ruth says: “We’ve increased our budget by 50% to invest in existing homes.”
Reality: The increased budget doesn’t match up with tenants’ lived experience. Reports of leaking roofs, broken doors, mould, heating failures, and unresolved infestations continue. Many residents claim their basic repair requests are either ignored or passed around departments with no resolution.
4. "Our Culture is Collaborative and Customer-Focused"
Ruth says: “There’s a real sense of colleagues wanting to do the right thing.”
Reality: Internally, staff have reported a toxic, top-down culture where whistleblowers are silenced and decision-making is disconnected from the front lines. Externally, the organisation’s actions toward complainants and campaigners suggest a defensive culture focused on protecting reputation, not improving service.
5. "We Value Transparency and Accountability"
Ruth says: “If performance is reported, I want to understand it down to the property level.”
Reality: GSA has failed to share meaningful data with residents, particularly around service charges. Attempts to gain financial transparency via Section 22 requests have been met with vague responses, missing invoices, and obfuscation. The organisation has fought efforts to bring scrutiny, even trying to take down critical websites and videos.
6. "The GSA Way Reflects Our Values"
Ruth says: “The GSA Way sets out the behaviours we want and the ones we don’t.”
Reality: The ‘GSA Way’ has become a slogan divorced from actual practice. Severe maladministration findings, complaints upheld by the Ombudsman, and legal intimidation of critics don’t align with the values supposedly enshrined in this internal code. When values are written but not lived, they become meaningless.
7. "Customer Voice Is Embedded in Strategy"
Ruth says: “We go out on the estates and hear directly from residents.”
Reality: While GSA may host roadshows and forums, many residents say they are selective, performative, and only take place after reputational damage has already been done. Feedback is gathered, but action is rare. One resident noted that even when problems are acknowledged publicly, the follow-up is non-existent.
8. "We’re Building Trust Through Delivery"
Ruth says: “It takes six good experiences to recover from one bad one.”
Reality: Many residents have yet to experience one good interaction. Trust isn’t rebuilt through platitudes—it’s earned through service, responsiveness, and integrity. GSA continues to fall short in these areas, and residents know it.
A Tale of Two Narratives
Ruth Cooke presents a version of GreenSquareAccord where challenges are acknowledged, values are central, and residents are heard. But that’s not the version that many tenants live with day to day. The gap between PR and practice is widening—and residents are the ones falling through it.
If GreenSquareAccord truly wants to earn trust, it needs less branding and more backbone. Less messaging, more maintenance. And a leadership team willing to listen, not just say they are.
Having published extensively on both the Housing Sector and GreenSquareAccord Resident Support sites—and with the podcast The GSA Way gaining traction with hundreds of views and downloads—it’s hard not to wonder, is this latest media appearance by Ruth Cooke a calculated attempt to spin the narrative back in GreenSquareAccord’s favour? With Steve Hayes stepping back from the spotlight, is Cooke now stepping out of the trenches in a last-ditch effort to regain control of the story? Could this be a reaction to my public scrutiny of the rushed and now openly acknowledged merger failure? Or is it simply the act of a CEO whose time is up, desperately clinging to relevance? Perhaps it's even a coordinated move by the National Housing Federation to lend credibility to their decision to elevate Ruth Cooke to their board—despite the mounting failures under her leadership.
Don’t take my word for it. Ruth Cooke admits that people will have views about her—good or bad—regardless of the truth. But if we take her at her word, then let’s look at the truth of her own published figures to assess whether the criticisms of her leadership are grounded in perception—or in fact.
The Numbers Don’t Lie – Q1 2025 Performance Exposed
Ruth Cooke may have plenty to say about culture, strategy, and investment. But as always, actions—and in this case, numbers—speak louder than words.
While GreenSquareAccord continues to issue upbeat communications and polished KPI dashboards, the reality for thousands of residents looks very different. We’ve taken their own Q1 2025 performance data and stripped out the spin to show the truth. And the truth is damning.
The Failures They Won’t Highlight — But We Will
📞 26,900+ Calls Not Answered Promptly
Out of 52,000 calls, more than half weren’t answered within two minutes. For residents in distress, that’s unacceptable.
📧 18,023 Emails Breached Response Expectations
Not a single email was answered within the expected 48 hours. Some waited 4–5 days.
🛠️ 376 Emergency Repairs Missed 24-Hour Target
These are serious issues—like water leaks or power outages—that went unresolved within the critical 24-hour timeframe.
🔧 2,807 Routine Repairs Took Too Long
Nearly 3,000 repairs went beyond the 28-day target, dragging on needlessly.
🔁 2,539 Repairs Not Fixed First Time
Thousands had to re-report repairs due to poor workmanship or incomplete fixes.
❗ 698 Complaints Mishandled
Out of 1,800+ complaints, 698 residents reported being unhappy with the outcome.
The Final Tally - Over 51,000 Missed Service Points in Just 3 Months
In Q1 ‘25 alone, GSA:
Mishandled 27,000+ calls
Delayed 18,000+ email responses
Botched over 5,700 repairs
Let down hundreds of complainants
And this is what they are willing to publish.
This Is More Than Poor Performance
These aren’t just numbers—they represent broken promises, delayed responses, and residents left without support.
It’s pressure on families, carers, and vulnerable tenants.
It’s systemic, not sporadic.
And it’s a culture that prioritises image over improvement.
So, How Are They Really Doing?
Ruth Cooke says GSA is “simpler, stronger, better.”
Their own data says otherwise. And the residents living through it know the truth.
If GreenSquareAccord truly wants to build trust, it’s time to ditch the slogans—and start delivering on the basics.
So, Ruth—why not join us on the podcast for an open and honest conversation? It’d be a breath of fresh air… and a welcome change from the usual spin.