Setting the Standard

A report setting out how South Tyneside Council is performing against new housing regulations will be brought to Cabinet next week.

The report and associated Housing Regulation Plan details actions and evidence of how the council is complying with new standards for tenants.

Last year, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) made significant changes about the standard of homes and services tenants can expect from landlords.

Four new consumer standards were introduced: The Safety and Quality Standard; The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard; The Neighbourhood and Community Standard and The Tenancy Standard. The RSH will hold all social landlords to account with regular inspections and scrutinising data on tenant satisfaction and repairs.

The Council could be subject to an inspection by the Regulator at any point over the next four years and will need to demonstrate it is meeting all four standards.

Last November, the management of the Council's housing services was brought back in house.

It transferred over from South Tyneside Homes, the company which had delivered housing services on behalf of the Council since 2006.

The move followed an independent review and consultation process with tenants and leaseholders, in which 94.2 per cent of respondents supported proposals to return housing to direct council control.

Cllr Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety, said: "The plan has been heavily influenced by our tenants. This has included engagement with our involved tenants but also links directly to the results from our tenant satisfaction survey.

"It sets out the specific expectations from the Regulator and the measures we are taking to ensure compliance.

"A significant part of an inspection by the Regulator will focus on outcomes for tenants, so we are documenting what impact our actions are having on our tenants, with clear evidence."

The plan will be reported into the Housing Strategy Group and the Tenants Scrutiny Panel on a quarterly basis. It is also proposed that a quarterly update is reported into cabinet as part of the quarterly performance report.