Dear readers — Over the past few weeks The Dispatch has been looking into a major Birmingham-based social housing company which has received widespread support from local politicians.
The company is called Aspire and it was once described by Andy Street as an organisation helping “people rebuild their lives” and by Sharon Thompson, deputy leader of the city council, as a company with “enthusiasm for communities,” while picking up awards for ‘diversity and inclusion.’ Lozells ward councillor Waseem Zaffar went as far as saying Aspire was performing “outstanding work” that supported the “most vulnerable in society.”
The Dispatch’s reporting paints a different picture — of a company taking millions of pounds a year from taxpayers to support individuals with complex needs, such as ex-service personnel or addicts, while failing to provide adequate support. Moreover, we have spoken to tenants in several Aspire properties who described leaks, black mould, pest infestations, drug taking and violence. We have seen evidence of these conditions first-hand at one property and have photographs of others.
This is the latest in a series of articles The Dispatch has run on Birmingham’s “exempt accommodation” crisis, a form of housing for the vulnerable that has been exploited by bad actors and has failed thousands of residents. Last year we published three articles looking at Lotus Sanctuary, a company set up by a Wolverhampton-based lettings agent who aimed to “end homelessness”, but ended up collapsing while owing £13 million. Then, two weeks ago we wrote about two upstart property companies, Reallo Ltd and HSPG, both dealing in exempt accommodation, who managed to turn a collective £1.25 million profit from Dudley Council by buying and selling a retirement home.
Today, we continue that reporting. As always, this edition is (mostly) a members-only affair. Our free readers can read the top of the email, but if you want to read our piece about Raja Khan and Aspire, you will need to join as a member if you’re not part of our paying community already. Why do we do this? Because so much journalism these days simply republishes press releases from local organisations without scrutiny. Taking the time to look into companies, such as Aspire, takes time and costs money, including our journalists’ salaries, their reporting expenses and our legal fees. We think this kind of reporting is important, but we need your help to keep doing it — The Dispatch is still some way from breaking even. If you want to support us — sign up today.
Our weekend to do list
🖼️ Birmingham Museums’ collection centre — a treasure trove of about a million fascinating items —- is open for visitors today from 12.30. Book tickets here from £5.
🎙️ Cyndi Lauper’s farewell tour stops off in Brum this evening and there are still tickets available. Get yours for £87.50.
📸 Try your hand at architectural street photography in the Jewellery Quarter on Saturday. Whether you’re snapping St Paul’s Church or the Warley Cash and Carry Wholesalers, find the best angles with an experienced guide. Tickets are £26.
🩰 Birmingham Royal Ballet joins forces with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia on Saturday night to celebrate the iconic choreographer Frederick Ashton with music and performances from his oeuvre. The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets are available from £30.
🎤 COBO: Comedy Shutdown will be at the Glee Club on Sunday for a Valentine’s special filled with gags. Tickets are £18 and doors open at 5.30pm.
Raja Khan’s empire of dirt: the negligent housing provider that courted Birmingham’s bigwigs
In 2020, sitting in a large office surrounded by model ships, Raja Khan, CEO of Aspire Supported Living CIC, talked to a video camera, describing what he saw as his mission. His focus was “humanity,” Khan said, adding: “I [have] eight or nine [other] companies..all limited profit-making organisations.” But Aspire is: “about reaching out to the most vulnerable, about [making] a difference in people's lives.”
“We look at our fridge, we look at our wardrobes, so much clothes, so much food, even our bank accounts, so much money — and if you look at it, you don’t really need it,” Khan continued. Back in 2015, Birmingham Live’s business pages covered Khan glowingly, reporting on how he aimed to house “50 refugee families.”
Though the organisation was registered by Solihull-based solicitor Mohammed Akram as a community interest company in 2014, dedicated to being “a provider of supported accommodation for the homeless, poverty-stricken, victims of crime and disadvantaged persons or those leaving care,” for most of its existence Khan has been at the helm.
Aspire are providers of so-called “exempt accommodation”, a form of supported housing which is exempt from certain Housing Benefit provisions (more on this later) and have received the admiration of the city’s best-known politicians over the years. Local MP and former cabinet minister Liam Byrne, deputy council leader Sharon Thompson and former West Midlands mayor Andy Street have tweeted in support of the organisation as far back as 2017. In 2020, Byrne visited Aspire to help with their foodbanks, tweeting: “helping those in need…great privilege to muck in with Raja Khan and the Aspire team today.” Street was pictured in 2017 shaking hands with Khan while a mayoral candidate, tweeting out that Aspire was “a fantastic organisation helping people rebuild their lives.” Thompson visited their offices in February 2020, writing that she was: “really impressed with the enthusiasm for communities.” Khalid Mahmood has appeared in many Aspire photographs posted to social media. Lozells councillor Waseem Zaffar, meanwhile, called their work “outstanding.”
It’s unclear what kind of due diligence these local politicians performed before giving Aspire their very valuable seal of approval, but it seems they drew different conclusions than we have done over the past month of reporting on the company. We have found evidence of neglect, pest infestations, and black mould and have heard frequent allegations of criminal behaviour: ranging from axe swinging to prostitution and sexual harassment. We also heard from residents who claimed that, despite the taxpayer providing sky-high payments for their support, Aspire staff would often attend properties for as little as ten minutes a week, per person. (We have put all these claims to Aspire several times, but they have chosen not to respond).
A spokesperson for Sharon Thompson told The Dispatch: “Like any cabinet member, when I held the housing portfolio I made it a priority to go out across the city to meet with organisations and residents across all types of housing to see first-hand the issues that the city faces.” Meanwhile, a representative of Andy Street told us: “This is a tweet from 8 years ago before Andy was elected Mayor. He does not support poor housing provision.” The tweet, from Street, was a week before he was elected West Midlands Mayor on the 4th of May 2017 — while he was the Conservative Party candidate.
Addendum, as of midday Friday the 14th, Aspire sent us the following reply:
“Aspire Supported Living CiC is fully committed to complying with all legal and regulatory standards to ensure the well-being of the individuals we support. We take all matters related to property management, resident care, and community relations very seriously…Aspire Supported Living CiC strongly refutes any allegations of mismanagement or misconduct. We operate in strict accordance with all regulatory requirements and best practices.”
