The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has confirmed that Labour-led Westminster City Council has achieved a C1 rating following an inspection of its housing services. This is the highest possible rating, indicating that the Council meets the consumer standards set by the regulator and effectively addresses and resolves problems when they are identified.
Westminster Council is the first Local Authority in London to achieve this rating to date and only one of a handful of services in the country. The inspection involved a detailed review of documents, an on-site inspection and attendance at resident engagement meetings. The regulator also met with staff and residents to better understand their experiences.
The inspection follows significant focus and investment by the Council in improving its housing services, which had become complacent and underperforming under the previous administration, which shut estate offices and locked the service into poorly thought through 10 year agreements with contractors. The council had a poor understanding of the condition of our housing stock, was behind on its delivery on fire safety and had shut down structures for listening to residents and involving them in decision making.
When Labour took control of the Council in May 2022 we initiated a deep dive into housing through the Future of Westminster Commission to understand some of the key challenges local residents were facing. Following this work in Spring 2023, Westminster City Council introduced the housing improvement programme, which has included a focus on improving repairs, complaints and our support for the most vulnerable residents. Central to this has been a focus on improving the frontline service offer, including opening more service centres and a focus on engaging and listening to our residents. We have also reopened four local housing service centres in Pimlico, Soho, Bayswater and Queen’s Park.
While the regulator’s judgment is a strong endorsement of the progress made over the last 3 years under Labour we are very clear that there is still a lot more to do before our housing services meet the aspirations of our tenants and leaseholders. We are clear that we don’t get everything right and that it is crucial we continue to listen to and learn from our residents to continue to strengthen the service. Our housing improvement journey is far from complete and work hard to ensure working with residents is an important part of what comes next. We are grateful to the work done by our housing officers and the housing improvement team to make this progress possible.
To see the official Housing Regulator Judgement please click here.
Councillor Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, said: “We welcome the findings from the Regulator of Social Housing, which demonstrates the significant progress we’ve made in improving our housing services over recent years.
“This C1 rating provides an important validation of the steps we have taken to improve the leadership, governance and performance of our housing services and reflects the achievements so far. However, we know that there is still much to do to ensure residents receive the best possible service, and we fully acknowledge that this result does not mean we always get everything right.
“Our improvement plans are still underway, and we will continue to work closely with residents, tenant management organisations and partners to drive continuous improvement. We’re committed to listening to residents and acting on their feedback to ensure all our tenants have a safe, secure and well-maintained home. Thank you to all the residents, staff, and partners who contributed to the inspection process. The feedback that we have received has been key in helping us deliver better homes, and services across Westminster.”
Councillor Adam Hug, Leader of the Council, said “The judgement by the Housing Regulator is an important validation of the work this Labour administration has done to try to turnaround and improve housing services in Westminster, after years of neglect and the acceptance of declining standards. We are clear however that there is a lot more to do and we will keep pushing to improve our services so they meet the standards we all aspire to for our tenants and leaseholders. There has been a lot done in less than three years, but there is a lot still to do.”