Purpose

Following the events at Regina
Road in March 2021, the Ark report identified a failing housing
service with a lack of care and respect for the residents it was in
place to serve. Citing inadequate communication, a lack of joint
working with residents and a repairs contract that was struggling
to deliver, the report identified severe weaknesses in the customer
experiences of Croydon’s tenants and leaseholders. As a
result, the council self-referred to the Regulator of Social
Housing (RSH). Identifying the breach of two consumer standards,
the RSH then served a regulatory notice on the Council which was
followed by regulatory intervention.
 
In addition to the regulatory
notice, the Council’s housing needs service was facing
significant pressure, with residents waiting over six months to be
assessed for homelessness services and an over-reliance on manual
systems leading to poor record keeping and data loss, impacting
grant funding and accurate reporting to MHCLG. Here also, the lack
of respect accorded to those experiencing homelessness was
notable.
 
To tackle the serious failings
in late 2022, a Housing Transformation Programme, to be delivered
under the umbrella of a new housing department, was developed
jointly with residents and staff. Following this, after a
comprehensive consultation with residents and key partners, the
Council approved its Housing Strategy and Delivery Plan on 13
December 2023. The Housing Strategy was a key component for
improving services in that it set out the principal challenges for
housing and the Council’s five-year priorities for improving
services for residents. Alongside the Strategy, the Delivery Plan
includes service-specific targets and objectives.
 
This report provides an
assessment of progress of key achievements over the first 18
months. It highlights significant accomplishments associated with
housing landlord services and housing needs including:
 

-      
Onboarding of new repair contractors and a new
repair contact centre now achieving excellent response times (95%
call answering rate) –

-      
Creation of robust new resident involvement
structures and meaningful consultation leading to the co-creation
of key strategies and policies.

-      
Adherence to Building and Fire safety act
requirements providing safety assurance to our
residents.

-      
Significant reduction in void turnaround times,
reducing wait times for our residents.

-      
In a time of rising homelessness, reducing the
percentage of applicants booked into temporary accommodation from
66% (2022) to 15% (2025) whilst eliminating the numbers of
households using B&Bs for over six weeks.

-      
Approval of Regina Road Planning Application to
demolish and rebuild the housing estate providing safe, warm and
secure new housing for 340 households of which 215 are for social
rent.
 
In April 2025, in recognition
of an improving situation, the RSH lifted the Regulatory Notice
served on the Council’s landlord services in 2021. This key
milestone was followed by encouraging outcomes from
Council-commissioned inspections of management and repairs and
maintenance.
 
The report also recognises the
difficult challenges that the Housing Service still faces. Within
the Housing Needs Service the levels of
homelessness remain historically high. Whilst in landlord services
ensuring that our housing stock is in good condition, and that the
service is compliant with the requirements of the Regulator’s
Consumer Standards, is essential.

Content

For the reasons set out in this
report, the Executive Mayor and Cabinet AGREED
to:
 
2.1 Note the progress made in
Croydon’s five-year Housing Strategy between December 2023
and August 2025 as set out in this report.