Council celebrates achieving highest grading for how it manages it's social housing
Officials and councillors at Melton Borough Council are celebrating the authority being awarded the highest rating for the way it manages its hundreds of social homes.
Independent assessors from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) upgraded the council to a C1 grade from the C2 it was awarded in the previous inspection in August 2024 – Melton is the first Leicestershire council to achieve this standard.
One of the changes which has helped improve the authority’s record has been the introduction of a new tenant engagement framework, including a dedicated tenant panel that scrutinises services and makes recommendations for improvements. Tenants have played an important role in informing and shaping new contracts for housing repairs and maintenance.
The council has also been recognised for the way it uses data and insight to better understand tenants and shape service delivery. Keeping tenant information up to date will help with a range of things, including designing and upgrading services, planning for future housing, scheduling repairs and communicating in the most effective ways with each tenant.
The council has improved the handling of anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases, supported by the introduction of new and improved policies, IT systems and processes, including having clearer arrangements for collaboration between teams. Tenant satisfaction in the last 12 months showed a 15.2 per cent increase in satisfaction with the approach to ASB case management.
The Housing Regulator highlighted the development of stronger tenant-led engagement arrangements, including the establishment of the Landlord Assurance Board and the strengthening of the ‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ residents' group, including the creation of tenant scrutiny arrangements.
Councillor Ronan Browne, the council’s leader, commented: "This is a significant milestone for the council and, most importantly, for our tenants.
"The regulator's judgement recognises the hard work that has taken place since the previous inspection and demonstrates our commitment to delivering safe, well-managed homes and high-quality landlord services, and in listening to and learning from our tenants.
"As a council we took the findings from 2024 seriously and had always committed to continuous improvement.
"This is a strong basis upon which we can prepare for whatever the future of local government looks like.”
The regulator also confirmed that Melton Borough Council continues to meet its landlord health and safety responsibilities, has an accurate and up-to-date understanding of the condition of its 1,780 social homes and now also has a much greater understanding of its tenants.
Chief executive, Edd de Coverly, added: "I am hugely proud of what we have collectively achieved and am particularly pleased that the regulator has recognised the progress made in strengthening tenant influence and accountability.
"Our tenants are at the heart of all we do and they have played a pivotal role in shaping these improvements.
"Their involvement and leadership through the Landlord Assurance Board and tenant engagement groups such as our ‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ have shaped what we have done and made sure services continue to improve.
"While we welcome this positive judgement, we also know there is more to do, and will never be complacent and remain committed to listening to residents and maintaining our focus on continuous improvement."