Report shows council has made significant progress to strengthen housing services and is building on national watchdog inspection findings

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has received a C2 grade – the second highest possible – from the Regulator of Social Housing following its first inspection of the council's housing services.

The regulator confirmed the city was meeting the outcomes of consumer standards overall. Inspectors identified a number of strengths in the council's work, including well-maintained, good-quality and safe homes, positive relationships with tenants, and evidence that resident feedback was helping shape services. The council was also praised for strong work to tackle anti-social behaviour and hate crime.

The inspection also identified areas where further improvement was needed. These mainly related to how the council deals with complaints and reporting, and how it could better use data to understand tenants' needs.

Progress in recent years

A new report on the inspection findings notes that the council has made significant progress in recent years to strengthen its housing service. Nearly 90 per cent of council homes have been surveyed within the last five years. Investment continues in safety and compliance programmes, tenants are increasingly involved in shaping services, and work is under way to improve energy efficiency in thousands of homes.

The C2 result placed Stoke-on-Trent alongside other major housing providers including Manchester City Council, as well as large registered housing providers.

Council response and next steps

Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said the inspection result was a positive recognition of the hard work that has gone into improving the housing service. She said the council fully accepts the areas identified for improvement and has already begun taking action.

The council is developing a comprehensive Housing Improvement Plan, which will be presented later this year. The plan will set out a programme of work to address the regulator's recommendations, improve how the council uses data and manages complaints, and ensure tenants continue to receive a high standard of service.

The report will be considered by the council's ruling cabinet next week.