HOUSING

Council refers itself to housing regulator

East Suffolk Council has referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing following issues with rent payments and health and safety data records.

East Suffolk Council has referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing following issues with rent payments and health and safety data records.

It comes after the council completed a four-month review into issues with its housing landlord service, which found improvements were required in a number of areas.

The review found that data held by the council on health and safety issues was not as comprehensive and robust as required.

East Suffolk is now arranging for additional inspections to be carried out to ensure its data is updated correctly.

The review also found some tenants who moved in after 2014 may have incorrectly been charged a higher rent.

An independent external audit of every rent account will now be conducted to find out how many tenants have been affected.

Council leader Steve Gallant said: 'I am grateful to officers for the thorough and diligent review they have undertaken.

'However, their findings are deeply disappointing and reporting our position to the housing regulator is entirely the right approach.

'I want to personally reassure all our tenants that any discrepancies in relation to rent payment will be resolved, and a drop in the standards they should expect will be confronted and addressed.'

HOUSING

Councils to be 'accountable' for care improvements as commission launched

By Paul Marinko | 03 January 2025

The Government intends to hold councils ‘accountable’ for improving care in their areas as part of its social care reforms.

HOUSING

Goodbye to all that

By Martin Ford | 20 December 2024

Ann McGauran and Martin Ford take a look back at the highs and lows of a pacy and action-packed year for local government.

HOUSING

Barnsley builds on its housing success

By Sarah Norman | 20 December 2024

Barnsley MBC’s achievement of the highest consumer standards grading in the Regulator of Social Housing’s inspection underlines the collective efforts of the...

HOUSING

When an inspector calls

By Angela Holden | 20 December 2024

Angela Holden looks at the emerging findings from the first social housing inspection judgements and sets out what can be done to improve the quality of soci...

Popular articles by Laura Sharman