"Mayor, Cabinet
I am pleased, with my cabinet colleague, Cllr Wilson, to present this quarterly update on the Housing Services Improvement Programme.
As Members will be aware, this programme was established following the Regulator of Social Housing's C4 judgement in October 2024. Since then, our focus has been clear: 1. to ensure that Newham residents live in safe, homes 2. well-maintained homes and receive 3. reliable, good value resident-focused services.
I am encouraged to report that good progress has been made this quarter. Delivery of both our compliance improvements and the commitments contained within our Voluntary Undertaking which we made early this year to the regulator and is currently assessed as green. We have strengthened governance and assurance arrangements, improved the quality of our housing data, and remain on track to implement a new Asset Management System by March 2027.
However, we must be honest with ourselves. Regulatory compliance is very important, but it is not the outcome residents experience. Residents judge us by whether their home is safe, whether repairs are completed effectively, and whether they feel listened to and respected. That is why the programme is increasingly focused on resident outcomes rather than simply programme activity.
On safety, which remains our first responsibility as a landlord, we continue to make progress in reducing outstanding fire safety remedial actions. Significant programmes of work on fire doors, compartmentation and door stopping are underway and are expected to address the vast majority of legacy fire-risk actions. We have also introduced a new Housing Assurance Framework to strengthen our ability to demonstrate compliance and provide confidence that safety controls are operating effectively.
On maintaining our homes, we are taking a more rigorous and transparent approach to assessing the condition of our housing stock. Properties are now only recorded as meeting the Decent Homes Standard where there is clear evidence to support that conclusion. Where evidence is incomplete, homes are recorded as non-decent until their condition can be verified. This may result in higher reported levels of non-decency in the short term, but it provides a far more honest and accurate picture from which to plan future investment.
We are also strengthening our engagement with residents. Over 10,000 tenancy audits have now been completed, leading to more than 4,000 referrals for support services, repairs and other interventions. Alongside this, estate walkabouts, housing surgeries and estate action days continue to provide valuable opportunities for residents and councillors to engage directly with housing teams.
The latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures remind us that there is still significant work to do. Overall landlord satisfaction stands at 59%, satisfaction with repairs at 64%, satisfaction that the Council listens and acts at 54%, and 68% of tenants feel they are treated fairly and with respect. These figures demonstrate progress in some areas but also frankly still not good enough and highlight the challenge ahead in rebuilding trust and confidence.
In conclusion, while substantial work remains, particularly around resident satisfaction, data quality and service transformation, Newham has made significant progress since the C4 judgement. The programme is now moving from a focus on activity to a focus on outcomes, ensuring that improvements are felt by residents in their daily lives.
I therefore ask Cabinet to note the progress outlined in this report and support the continued delivery of the Housing Services Improvement Programme. To be clear I thank all Newham housing workers who have done so much to get us out of the C4 due to their hard work but we still have much to do, we are not complacent, but we will get there and offer a first class service to residents.
Thank you, Mayor. More than happy to take any questions or comments."
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