Council rated 'good' in social housing inspection

Medway Council has received a rating of “good” from the government's social housing inspector.

The two-day inspection, which took place in early September, looked at how the council maintains and delivers social housing for its tenants.

The council is the first local authority in the south-east of England to have its portfolio of 3,000 social homes inspected by the government in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, which led to the creation of the Social Housing Act 2023.

Councillor Louwella Prenter, the portfolio holder for housing at the council, described the result as a “moment of pride” and said it “shows the council look after and listen to their tenants' needs”.

The council was rated on the safety and quality of housing, the standard of tenancies and how effective they were for tenants and how efficiently they use the council’s properties.

The tests also evaluated how transparent and open to the views of tenants the council is, and how effectively the authority deals with neighbourhood issues, such as anti-social behaviour, domestic violence, and the safety of communal spaces.

The report praised the authority’s fixing of repairs in a timely manner, using its housing stock effectively, and recognising areas for improvement and having a plan in place to fix them.

The C2 rating means Medway Council is one place away from the highest possible rating of C1, however the report also noted areas for improvement including the "reporting and oversight of remedial actions" and gaps in the information the council holds on the condition of its homes.

The report also noted that “8% of Medway’s homes are failing to meet the decent homes standard”.

Ms Prenter said: “We are pleased the inspectors recognised the work currently under way to make improvements to the service and we are committed to delivering these as soon as possible."

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