Plans for £2.4million investment to improve Essex council housing after damning reports
Castle Point council was slammed for “very serious failings” after failing to collect surveys from tenants on the state of the properties
An Essex council is proposing to spend more than £2 million to improve its housing after it was slammed for “very serious failings” by a regulator.
Castle Point Borough Council says it “must address its failings swiftly and decisively” after it failed to complete and collect surveys from its tenants on the state of the properties.
The Regulator of Social Housing inspected the council twice and ordered that the authority “make fundamental changes so that improved outcomes are delivered.”
At a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 22 January 2025, the Council approved major investment in its social housing - around £2.4 million over a four-year period.
The investment will be used for a range of improvements and factors, including staffing, contacts, and computer systems.
The council was downgraded for a second time in the latest Regulator of Social Housing inspection - stating the council “must make fundamental changes so that improved outcomes are delivered.”
The government’s regulator has given the council a C4 rating, which is the lowest possible for housing.
The regulator also found that while the council showed “willingness” to improve, there was no “evidence to sufficiently assure” that the regulator understood the “risks” to tenants due to any unassessed or unaddressed issues with the homes.
Cllr Rob Lillis, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Housing said:
“On 12 December 2024, the Regulator published a second Regulatory Judgement which downgraded the Council’s compliance with the Consumer Standards to C4. The Council has acknowledged and accepted the findings of the Regulator.
Further, in November 2024, documents from a council meeting showed the authority said its collection, monitoring, escalating, and reporting of data relating to housing services “is inconsistent and, therefore, not fully fit for purpose.”
Dave Blackwell, leader of Castle Point Council, said: “We have made a commitment to tenants that we will look at every aspect of the housing service and that tenants will be at the very heart of this journey.
"The transformation of the housing service will be one of the top priorities for the administration going forward.”