Regulators have recognised strengths in Westmorland and Furness Council’s Housing Landlord service and a culture of ‘putting tenants first’, awarding the service the second highest rating following a recent inspection.
Inspectors from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) visited in October last year to assess how the service is run and how it manages the 2,561 homes the council owns, mainly in the Furness area but with a small number of properties located in Eden.
The RSH regulate for the social housing sector to ensure quality homes and services for current and future tenants and to identify improvements where needed.
They set standards which state outcomes that landlords must deliver against, assessing performance through inspections and by reviewing data that landlords are required to submit.
Following last year’s inspection, which involved observing meetings, speaking with tenants, councillors and staff, as well as reviewing documents and procedures, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Housing Landlord service has had its Consumer Grade confirmed as C2.
This is the second highest grade and means that the landlord meets the regulatory standards overall with no serious failings. The highest grading is a C1, followed by C2, C3 and C4.
In its report, the RSH identified Westmorland and Furness Council’s service as having a number of strengths:
- The regulator observed respectful interactions with tenants and a culture of putting tenants first, alongside evidence that the council listens to tenants’ feedback and provides engagement opportunities
- The council has a clear and evidenced understanding of the condition of its homes, having completed recent stock condition surveys covering over 95% of its homes, with clear plans in place to survey the remaining properties
- The council reports all homes meet the Decent Homes Standard based on the information available from the recent stock condition survey and investment planning.
- Westmorland and Furness has no serious failings in the delivery of social housing
- Westmorland and Furness Council has demonstrated it is taking all reasonable steps to comply with legal health and safety requirements in line with the Safety and Quality Standard, and has appropriate systems in place to ensure tenant safety and to strengthen its approach
- The council’s approach to damp and mould reflects a clear understanding of legal requirements, with timely investigation and completion of remedial works
- The regulator was assured that the repairs service provided by the council is effective, efficient and timely and that the council responds and actions repairs appropriately
- The regulator gained assurance that Westmorland and Furness Council manages anti-social behaviour and hate incidents effectively and sets out a victim-centred and trauma-informed approach. Improved monitoring has also led to improved outcomes
- The council meets the outcomes of the Tenancy Standard, efficiently using its stock to offer tenancies that meet the needs of individuals and promote sustainable communities
- Complaints are addressed fairly, promptly and effectively, with a commitment to analysing and learning from complaints to improve services
The regulator’s inspection report also notes some areas the council needs to focus on to improve the service in order to meet the highest C1 standard. These areas for improvement were:
- Understanding the diverse needs of all tenants. Whilst the council does collect this information, there is a need to ensure this is updated regularly to ensure that this informs service design and can be used in monitoring outcomes and evaluating accessibility
- More effective tenant scrutiny at a strategic level is needed
- Strengthen the reporting of performance information to tenants
The council has recognised many of these issues and the regulator acknowledged the positive steps the council is already taking to improve in these areas, including developing a new Tenant Engagement Strategy and Action Plan, and were assured of the council’s commitment to improvement. The regulator will continue to engage with the council as it implements its improvement plans.
Councillor Judith Derbyshire, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety, said:
“We welcome the inspection findings and the recognition of the great work from our housing teams in making sure our housing stock meets the right standards and that we respond well to any problems or complaints.
“I am particularly pleased that the report recognises how well we look after our tenants. We always strive to deliver the very best service we can for our tenants and they are absolutely at the heart of our service delivery.
“This was the council’s first inspection by the RSH under its new programme, so having this detailed feedback for the first time under this more intensive approach has also been really helpful in identifying where we can improve.
“An overall C2 judgement demonstrates that we are compliant with regulatory standards and have a really solid platform. Our focus now is on learning from the inspection and improving our services even further and aiming for a C1 rating in future inspections.’’