Government housing regulators say they will not be taking action against South Kesteven District Council due to its actions in turning around its housing service.

The council has suffered two damning reports over the management of its properties, as previously reported by Nub News.

Today, SKDC reported the Regulator of Social Housing will take no further statutory action but it said the council had breached Home Standards.

Following an independent investigation into the Council's housing service a Regulatory Notice, issued by the Social Housing Regulator, states that the Council breached part 1.2 of the Home Standard but highlights that there is already a programme in place to drive up standards.

The regulator said: "Since identifying these issues, South Kesteven DC has strengthened its senior capacity and is developing an action plan to address the underlying weaknesses in its systems. A programme of work has commenced, and we have been assured by South Kesteven DC that it has taken immediate and appropriate action to ensure the safety of tenants while the programme is being delivered."

Karen Bradford, Chief Executive of South Kesteven District Council, said: "My focus is delivering a housing service that our tenants can be proud of and I am sorry that, in the past, our service has fallen short of the high standard they deserve.

"It is, of course, disappointing that the Council has received a regulatory notice although it is encouraging that the Regulator outlines the action that we are already taking to improve our service. Going forward, we will continue working closely with the Regulator and ensuring that our tenants are updated and supported throughout."

Last year, South Kesteven District Council self-referred its housing service to the Social Housing Regulator in response to the findings of an in-depth audit commissioned by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Kelham Cooke, its Chief Executive Karen Bradford, and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Cllr Robert Reid.

Cllr Reid said: "Commissioning the audit was an important step in turning around our housing service for our tenants, whose wellbeing and safety is our fundamental priority. The findings identified numerous weaknesses in our systems and processes and the Council has been working extremely hard to address these areas.

"Over the last few months, the Council has put in place many measures as part of its housing action plan. These include providing a dedicated team to respond to queries, implementing new systems and processes to ensure repairs and inspections are managed more effectively, commissioning a comprehensive survey of its housing stock, and ensuring that it has the right team in place to manage the housing service."

To spearhead the housing service, the Council has recruited a new Director of Housing and Property, Andrew Cotton, who has more than 20 years' experience in social housing and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing. He joins South Kesteven District Council in the coming months from Melton Borough Council, where he was Director of Housing and Communities.

On announcing the appointment, Cllr Cooke stated: "Excellent progress has been made so far but there is much more that the Council will be doing to drive up standards. The appointment of Andrew Cotton, who has exceptional experience in leading high-performing housing teams, is a key step in delivering a housing service that we will all be proud of."

The Notice from the Social Housing Regulator can be viewed in full here.

South Kesteven District Council also has a dedicated page relating to the audit and regulatory notice which can be viewed by visiting www.southkesteven.gov.uk and searching for Housing Audit.