Urgent consultancy support following the Council's Grade 4 Regulator of Social Housing

Description

Following an inspection at GBC the Regulator of Social Housing published a Regulatory Judgement relating to the Council on 17 December 2025 with the following failings: Consumer Standard Safety & Quality Judgement- Very serious failings including: • A lack of accurate and update to stock condition surveys. • A lack of evidence that the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) • A lack of assurance in the accuracy of decent homes percentage figures. • Unable to demonstrate adequate management and mitigations of fire safety remedial actions. Transparency, Influence Accountability - Serious failings Neighbourhood & Community- Serious failings Tenancy-weaknesses The judgement was published in the press and national websites, it is the lowest and most serious grading and reputationally damaging for the Council, the Council is at present unable to give assurances that all our tenants are safe in their homes. There is an urgent need to procure consultancy support to undertake the work needed to prepare and implement a Comprehensive Improvement Plan as required by the Regulator. The Council is having fortnightly meetings with the Regulator who expects the Council to engage appropriate support urgently to ensure we can make assurances that, in particular, tenants are safe in their homes or the Council have risk mitigations in place until the necessary work is undertaken. The judgement confirmed the Regulators view that GBC's data cannot be relied upon and GBC are unable at this point to give assurances to the safety standards required for our tenanted properties. GBC does not have in-house resource or expertise to undertake the required work or at the pace it is required. A full review of the Housing Section structure and resources will be undertaken to ensure the required and correct structure and resource is in place going forwards. An external consultant will provide the necessary immediate resource and an independence that will give assurance to the Regulator that the Council is dealing with its failings in an urgent and thorough manner. It will allow full transparency of process and allow GBC to have a clear understanding of the immediate, medium and long term strategies and programmes of work and appropriate budgets needed to bring our homes, policies and processes up to standard and ultimately ensure our residents are safe and increase our RSH grading.