Stoke-on-Trent City Council has identified more than 1,100 properties with untidy gardens as part of a citywide inspection programme aimed at improving neighbourhood appearance across the city.
Between 1 and 30 September 2026, Estate Officers inspected properties throughout Stoke-on-Trent and found 1,103 gardens falling below acceptable standards. This comprised 854 current council house gardens and 249 properties that were previously part of the council's housing stock.
How the new approach works
The council has restructured its Housing Management Service so that Estate Officers now work alongside teams tackling anti-social behaviour, creating a more co-ordinated approach to maintaining estate standards.
Under the new process, officers record breaches during inspections and deliver warning letters to residents immediately. Tenants then have 21 days to bring their gardens back to an acceptable standard before follow-up inspections take place.
If improvements are not made, officers can issue Community Protection Warnings and, if necessary, Community Protection Notices. In persistent cases, the council can carry out work in default and recharge the costs to the tenant.
Support alongside enforcement
The council has emphasised that enforcement is only one part of the approach. Officers recognise that untidy gardens can sometimes be linked to wider tenancy issues, health concerns or changes in personal circumstances. In these cases, residents may be offered support or referred to appropriate partner agencies.
Environmental Health officers have also been involved in addressing issues involving privately owned properties that have transferred out of council ownership, such as those sold through the Right to Buy scheme.
What comes next
The Housing Management Service is introducing a patch-based inspection schedule linked to growing seasons. Every housing patch will be inspected regularly, with new cases identified and addressed as they arise.
Councillor Duncan Walker, Cabinet Member for Safe and Resilient Communities and Housing, said: "Everyone deserves to live in a clean, safe and welcoming neighbourhood, and maintaining our estates is an important part of creating places where people can feel proud to live. By combining effective estate management with a person-centred approach, we're helping to improve the appearance of our neighbourhoods while supporting tenants to sustain their tenancies and contribute positively to their communities."