Source: City of Portsmouth
The government’s social housing regulator has issued a decision on Portsmouth City Council following the council’s self-referral last year.
The Regulator of Social Housing (the regulator) has said that the service is ‘in need of significant improvement’.
The grading is not unexpected, and the council has had a work plan in place for some time to address areas that have been identified as in need of change.
In April 2024, the regulator introduced new consumer standards for social housing landlords, which confirmed government expectations and introduced new regular inspections for local authorities.
This means landlords need to be able to show data and evidence that proves they are compliant with the new standards and that they are delivering good services to tenants.
The council chose to fulfil its legal duty to self-refer to the regulator in September 2024 and informed tenants and reported to the council’s September Housing decision meeting. Landlords need to inform the social housing regulator of areas where there are gaps that mean they may not meet the standards. This is called a self-referral and is seen as a positive step, with the regulator encouraging landlords to do so. The regulator noted the council had “engaged constructively” and “acted transparently” by making a detailed self-referral.
The regulator has now issued its C3 judgement.
The regulator says that the council has failed to meet the safety and quality standard – one of the four of its standards – in the following areas:
- Stock condition surveys, which did not include all required information
- Electrical safety, relating to the recency of information
- Outstanding fire remedial actions
- Emergency repairs clarity and oversight
These are all areas the council is aware of. The council has a plan to tackle these which includes: increased officer visits to tenants’ homes to make sure information is up to standard and up to date, increasing the frequency of electrical testing, improving the way information is recorded and stored including around repairs, and responding to outstanding fire actions in priority order, with plans to invest significantly in this area. An update report will be going to the council’s housing decision meeting in February.
The regulator has acknowledged that the council, which is landlord to around 17,000 homes across the south, is “taking steps to address the serious failings identified and make significant improvements”.
Cllr Darren Sanders, Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness, said: “We knew there was room for improvement to meet the new regulator standards. That’s why we referred ourselves and have publicised this to our tenants and other stakeholders. We welcome and accept the findings of the regulator and will work constructively and proactively with them and our tenants on those areas they have identified.
“I am confident we are already addressing the issues raised. Tenants are at the heart of everything we do, and tenant feedback reassures us that they have confidence in us as a landlord. We want to be open and transparent with our tenants, leaseholders and shared-owners, and to embrace the on-going work plan. This is the start of our journey with the regulator, and we will continue to work closely with them.”