Report shows council has made significant progress to strengthen housing services and is building on national watchdog inspection findings

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has committed to further improving its services to tenants after its first inspection by the national watchdog.

The Regulator of Social Housing awarded the council a C2 grade – the second highest possible – and confirmed the city was meeting the outcomes of consumer standards overall. It also identified areas where further improvement was needed. 

Inspectors highlighted a number of strengths, including well-maintained, good-quality and safe homes, positive relationships with tenants, evidence that resident feedback was helping shape services, and strong work to tackle anti-social behaviour and hate crime. 

The areas for improvement mainly related to how the council deals with complaints and reporting, as well as how it could better use data to understand tenants' needs. 

The council has already started work in those areas and is developing a comprehensive Housing Improvement Plan, which will be presented later this year.  

A new report, to be considered by the council's ruling cabinet next week, outlines the findings of the inspection and the measures already being taken to further improve services. 

It notes that the C2 result placed Stoke-on-Trent alongside other major housing providers – including Manchester City Council  – as well as large registered housing providers. 

The report finds that the council has made significant progress in recent years to strengthen its housing service. Nearly 90 per cent of council homes have been surveyed within the last five years, investment continues in safety and compliance programmes, tenants are increasingly involved in shaping services, and work is under way to improve energy efficiency in thousands of homes.  

It notes that the regulator praised the relationship between the council and its tenants, noting that residents felt listened to, valued and able to influence decisions affecting their homes and communities.  

Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "The inspection result was a positive recognition of the hard work that has gone into improving our housing service and the commitment of our staff to providing safe, good-quality homes for tenants. We are particularly pleased that the regulator highlighted the strong relationships we have built with residents and the ways in which tenant feedback is helping to shape our services.

"At the same time, we fully accept the areas identified for improvement and have already begun taking action. We are determined to build on the progress made in recent years and use this inspection as an opportunity to strengthen our services even further.

"Our Housing Improvement Plan will set out a clear programme of work to address the regulator's recommendations, improve how we use data and manage complaints, and ensure tenants continue to receive the high standard of service they expect and deserve. We remain committed to listening to our residents and delivering continuous improvement across our housing service."