Inspection concerns spark council housing overhaul

A Surrey council has launched a major overhaul of its housing service after an inspection raised concerns over safety and standards.

Inspectors from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) visited Tandridge District Council's service in July and their official findings are due out this week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Senior officers say they have already begun implementing changes and have launched a Housing Improvement Plan to deal with problems flagged during the visit.

"There were some things that came as an absolute surprise to me," said councillor Jeremy Pursehouse, lead member for housing.

He told a Housing Committee meeting on 11 September that some of the issues came from the housing team's failure to document or find the information, rather than the information not being there.

The inspection is part of a new national regime which gives regulators greater powers to intervene in failing housing services.

It assesses whether homes are safe and well-maintained, if residents can raise concerns and influence decisions, and whether the tenancy management is fair and supportive.

More than £400,000 from housing funds has been set aside for the first wave of changes, including hiring extra housing staff and upgrading the council's IT systems.

Immediate actions listed in council documents include commissioning a full housing stock condition survey by Autumn with urgent safety issues flagged.

They also plan to expand staff training and review housing compliance procedures.

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