Regulator of Social Housing finds “serious failings” at council over consumer standards

Swindon Borough Council has become the latest council to fall short of the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) required outcomes against the consumer standards and been given a C3 grading.

RSH’s inspection, initiated by a self-referral by the council over health and safety issues and its repairs service, found that Swindon:

• was unable to report accurately on the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors;
• was unable to track or monitor faults from electrical safety checks;
• has more than 800 overdue fire safety actions, the majority of which were overdue by more than a year;
• was not actively tracking, monitoring, or reporting open damp and mould cases, though there was evidence that reports are followed up effectively;
• was unable to demonstrate how tenants’ views have been considered in its decision making, with no evidence of actively encouraging participation from under-represented groups.

The regulator added, however, that Swindon had demonstrated that it understands the issues and is taking action towards rectifying the failures identified.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “We take health and safety very seriously and expect all landlords to make sure tenants are not at risk in their homes. 

“We also want to see better data management from landlords, to demonstrate they understand their homes and tenants. Self-referrals are a good indicator that a landlord not only understands our requirements, but that they are taking accountability. 

“Lastly, our scrutiny of housing associations’ governance and viability remains vital for delivering more and better homes for tenants.”

Cllr Janine Howarth, Cabinet Member for Housing at Swindon Borough Council, said: “We fully accept this judgement and the Regulator’s grading of our housing services. It makes clear that we are falling short on our responsibility to consistently deliver a decent standard of housing and comply with national standards that came into force in April 2024.

“Having met with hundreds of tenants and leaseholders since taking on Cabinet Member responsibility for housing services in May 2023, it quickly became clear that some areas of our housing services were not at the level our tenants should expect.”

Swindon Council has approved a five-year, £250m programme of maintenance and major refurbishment work on council homes, marking a 78% increase in planned investment compared to the previous five years.

Harry Rodd