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03
Jul
Council launches social housing strategy after regulator finds 'serious failings’
A government regulator has found “serious failings” in North Yorkshire Council’s tenant services for social housing.
The authority referred itself to the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) in May 2024 after it became responsible for 8,500 social homes from the former district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council.
The council said in a statement that it was working closely with the regulator and that Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, and Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for housing, had met with RSH to give an update on its progress last month.
A judgement published by the regulator last September said that “significant improvement” was needed at the council for it to be compliant with consumer standards.
It said:
Our judgement is that there are serious failings in how North Yorkshire Council is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is needed, specifically in relation to outcomes in our Safety and Quality Standard and Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.
The regulator said it arrived at the judgement after “responsive engagement” with the authority.
It said the council did not “have an accurate or up-to-date understanding of the condition of its homes” and that the authority was unable to “accurately report” the current level of compliance with government standards.
The regulator added that the council was unable to provide information on the number of outstanding water hygiene checks and the number of homes it owns which are subject to specific requirements for asbestos management surveys and re-inspections.
It also found concerns over health and safety, governance, and providing opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise the service being delivered.
Five-year strategy
A five-year strategy to improve the council’s social housing service is due to be considered by the authority’s executive next week (July 9).
In a statement issued today (July 3), the council said it referred itself to RSH after a "range of issues" were identified. As a result, it has sought to draw up a plan to improve.
The blueprint, which has been supported by tenants, sets out the council’s ambition to be an outstanding social landlord and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring families’ voices are heard in decisions that affect their homes, safety and the wider community.
The council said to improve the communication between residents and the council, a new Tenant Voice Forum has been established to help those living in social housing influence decisions that affect their homes, safety and the wider community.
A scrutiny panel has also been formed to help residents work more closely with the council to influence service delivery, and a new newsletter, Open Door, which is co-produced by a group of tenants, has also been launched.
Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for housing, said:
We own and manage 8,500 properties across the county and providing a good-quality, safe and secure home for our customers at an affordable rent is a priority.
In doing so, it is crucial that we work with our tenants, understand and listen their concerns, and ensure that their voices have been heard when taking important decisions.
We are also improving the way in which we deal with tenant feedback through quarterly satisfaction surveys and lessons learnt from complaints, making sure we have our finger on the pulse of their experiences.
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