THE merger between a housing association and disability charity will benefit residents, Andover's MP has said. 

The MP for North West Hampshire Kit Malthouse met with Aster Group chief executive officer Bjorn Howard and Aster’s chief operating officer Emma O’Shea on Friday, October 14.

As previously reported, as well as its core business, Aster Group is also home to Dorset-based East Boro Housing Trust (EBHT) and London-based Central and Cecil (C&C), both of which provide housing and support to older and vulnerable people. Enham Trust will retain its housing stock and disability services, in much the same way that EBHT and C&C continue to operate housing and care services for the benefit of their residents.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Malthouse said: “The happiness and wellbeing of people living under Enham’s care has been my primary concern during the trust’s merger with Aster Housing Group, and I stressed this once again during my recent, very positive meeting with bosses.

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“It was heartening to look at the opportunities that have real potential to benefit residents in the future — particularly the village’s brownfield sites that can be used for sensitive expansion of new residential space; and the employment opportunities for residents if Enham is more plugged into Andover and its business community.”

Mr Malthouse added that he held the further in-person meeting so he could meet the new Aster team.

He continued: “Obviously, I have been monitoring the situation with Enham for some time and working closely with friends and family.

"Given that the merger had gone through, I thought it was a good idea to meet the new team because, obviously, there are significant changes needed at Enham, and understand now that that hurdle has been overcome what the forward strategy is."

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Mr Malthouse also wanted to reassure Enham residents about the quality of Aster’s homes: “It is true to say that the record of Astor in Andover as a whole has not in the past been brilliant.

“Certainly, as the local MP over the last seven years, we’ve had our challenges with dealing with them, not least with dealing with some of the issues on King Arthur’s Way.

“However, things have improved significantly in the last couple of years, and the Aster management seems determined to continue that journey of improvement”.

An Aster group spokesperson said: "It was extremely useful for us to meet with Kit Malthouse MP at Enham during October, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with him in the coming months.

"Our immediate focus is to use our resources, strength and expertise to support Enham Trust.

"Longer-term, our vision is to enhance and improve Enham’s homes and disability services, and we are committed to engaging with customers and the wider local community so they help shape what Enham will look like in years to come."