Stevenage Borough Council inspected by Regulator of Social Housing
The Regulator of Social Housing was set up by the Government to ensure that social landlords like the council deliver quality homes and services for current and future tenants. They do this by setting standards and carrying out regulation focused on driving improvements for housing associations and stock holding local authorities. In April 2024 they introduced new Consumer Standards, and they also started a new programme of inspections, which for the first time now also includes councils who are landlords like Stevenage Borough Council.
As part of this new programme, Stevenage Borough Council has been one of the first to be subject to a planned inspection over the summer and the Regulator has now issued its first Regulatory Judgement for Stevenage Borough Council. C1 is the very best achievable grade with C4 the lowest.
Stevenage has been awarded a C2 grade which confirms the council has provided assurance that it meets the Consumer Standards in many areas. There were some areas identified for improvement and plans are in place to ensure tenants needs are met.
As part of the inspection, the Regulator attended a tenant workshop and met with tenants, council officers and councillors and reviewed an extensive suite of documentation.
Cllr Jackie Hollywell, Stevenage Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing said, “We are pleased with the outcome of the process, this judgement has confirmed our ongoing commitment to housing improvement and our tenants whilst recognising the work of everyone involved.
The council continues to invest in our tenants’ homes and is making improvements to the way in which the housing stock is managed in accordance with the requirements of this new regulatory regime. The judgement confirms that we are keeping tenants safe and consistently working to improve the quality of our homes and services. The Regulator has identified there is more work to be done and reassuringly we are already working on the areas for improvement identified. We are confident with our housing track record and remain fully committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for our tenants.”
Commenting on the Regulatory Judgement, Cllr Richard Henry, Leader of the Stevenage Borough Council said, "The positive outcome of the inspection shows just how hard our council is working to make sure that our tenants’ homes are in good condition.”
The council’s Cabinet will formally receive and consider the Regulatory Judgement and the council’s response at their meeting on 11 December 2024. The council will write to all its tenants explaining how the inspection process works, its outcome and provide details of the work that is underway to deliver the planned improvements.
Ends
Additional information:-
- In April 2024, the Regulator for Social Housing assumed new powers arising from the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, to proactively inspect all local authority landlords as part of a continuing effort to drive up standards within the social housing sector. All social landlords with over 1,000 homes (including local authorities) will be subject to proactive inspection every four years and Stevenage Borough Council is one of the first councils in the country to go through the new process. The specific focus for the inspection regime is compliance with the new Consumer Standards which took effect from April 2024. The proactive inspection regime will lead to a ‘Regulatory Judgement’ for each social landlord, which will be published by the Regulator for Social Housing.
- Summary of key findings from the Stevenage Borough Council inspection
judgement can be found at: Regulatory judgements, enforcement notices and gradings - GOV.UK