While EMH Group awarded consumer standard upgrade
Lancaster City Council (CC) has received its first regulatory grading in the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) latest batch of judgements.
Lancaster CC was handed a C2 consumer grade following inspection, with RSH citing “weaknesses” in delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards.
“Improvement is needed, specifically in relation to the outcomes in the safety and quality standard and the transparency, influence and accountability standard,” said the regulator.
While the council was found to be broadly delivering repairs in a “timely way”, the RSH reported a backlog. Lancaster CC said a plan is in place to complete most of the overdue repairs by the end of November. It has not yet been graded for governance or viability.
RSH described the landlord as demonstrating a “respectful and positive culture towards tenants” but warned it does not have comprehensive information about the characteristics and diversity of its customers.
Deputy chief executive Kate Dodsworth said: “Landlords can only deliver fair, accessible and accountable services when they understand the diverse needs of their residents and use that insight to shape decision-making and improve outcomes.”
The regulator has also upgraded East Midlands Housing (EMH) Group from a C2 to a C1 grading.
Since its 2024 inspection, RSH said the landlord has “strengthened its arrangements for ensuring that tenants’ views are considered in strategic decision making about how landlord services will be delivered.”
The regulator added that improvements in customer service and complaints handling have led to a reduction in the number of complaints received.
EMH Group’s G1 and V2 gradings for governance and viability remained unchanged.
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