A new approach and improved ways of working have resulted in South Kesteven District Council's social housing service being judged as compliant with standards set by the Regulator for Social Housing.

In 2020 the Council commissioned an audit that identified key areas of work required to meet the Regulator's Home Standard. Based on the findings the Council referred itself to the Regulator.

The Regulatory Notice was applied following a self-referral to the Regulator requested by the Chief Executive in February 2021. A lack of trust in the Housing function across all senior managers and elected members of the Council was identified, which resulted in a complete refresh of the Senior Housing Management Team.

The auditor outlined key areas where the Council needed to improve processes and record keeping to meet the necessary standards. SKDC developed a detailed action plan to address these findings.

Since March 2021 the Chief Executive and senior housing officers have met monthly with officers of the Regulator of Social Housing to provide current performance statistics and the updated improvement plan progress in relation to the key compliance areas within Housing.

The areas for improvement outlined in the audit included:

• Inspection process for gas and electrical certificates 
• Record keeping, servicing, and processes relating to fire safety
• Record keeping and tracking of water inspections
• Management of the recording of asbestos
• Insufficient data recorded to demonstrate how standards set out by the Regulator were being met

To support the improvement process, the Council implemented a comprehensive action plan to tackle areas of concern, which related mainly to inspection processes and awareness of the overall condition of its housing stock.

It also strengthened its senior housing team and reformed the process for compliancy with the Home Standard to ensure important safety checks are carried out.

The Chief Executive of SKDC, Karen Bradford, said: "The wellbeing and safety of our tenants is one of our fundamental priorities and it is welcome news that the Regulator for Social Housing has confirmed we now meet the needs of those who rely on our help and support.

"However, our work on delivering improvements to our housing service must continue and we thank our tenants for their patience and co-operation. Thanks must also go to our contractors for their contribution to this work.

"We have come a long way but, while the decision to remove the Regulatory Notice issued in February 2021 shows we are in a stronger position, I am under no illusions that there are still improvements to be made.

"We are determined to maintain this upward trajectory in order to meet our ambition to provide safe, secure, and affordable homes to the people who really need them."