'Downward spiral' in council housing - leader says

North Northamptonshire Council said a new board had been set up to improve council housing

A "downward spiral" in the satisfaction levels of council housing tenants was a "bleak picture", a local authority leader said.

According to a survey of 2,000 residents in social housing, 60% said they were satisfied by how North Northamptonshire Council acted as their landlord.

Three-quarters of tenants who made a complaint in the last year said they were not happy with the authority's approach to their issues.

Jason Smithers, the leader of the council, said: "We're simply falling short and lagging behind in a race to the bottom."

According to the report presented to authority's executive, 44% of tenants felt the council listened to their views and acted upon them.

The authority was the lowest-performing for resident satisfaction over the time taken to complete repairs, in comparison with six other housing providers who had recently published their housing data, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Jason Smithers, the leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said he wanted to transform the approach of social housing

Smithers, a Conservative councillor, said: "It paints a particularly bleak picture.

"It's time to stop the downward spiral on this and remember our core purpose here.

"We're not just landlords, we're entrusted to provide safe, well-maintained homes and fostering pride in communities.

"If we don't get these basics right, how are we ever going to get the trust of our residents who are using our social housing?"

The report also said 52% of asbestos safety checks had been carried out in council-owned homes and 45% received water safety checks.

A "housing improvement and assurance board" would be set up to ensure an improvement plan was established, the council said.

The panel will consist of four non-executive Conservative members and one representative from each of the recognised political groups.

Meetings are due to start this month and will be held bi-monthly, in private, with a progress report will go to the executive within six months.