The Executive of City of Lincoln Council are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 14 October 2025. The meeting is scheduled to include discussions of a new damp and mould policy, and the annual complaints performance and service improvement report. The meeting will be chaired by Councillor Naomi Tweddle, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder of Climate and Corporate Strategy, with Councillor Donald Nannestad, Deputy Leader & Portfolio Holder for Quality Housing as vice chair.

Damp and Mould Policy

The Executive are scheduled to discuss and approve a new damp and mould policy for council housing. According to the report pack, the policy aims to protect tenants' health, ensure legal compliance, and improve housing standards.

The policy is being introduced in response to Awaab's Law, which is scheduled to come into effect on 27 October 2025, following the death of Awaab Ishak due to prolonged exposure to mould. The report pack states that Awaab's Law:

mandates that social landlords must address damp, mould, and emergency hazards within strict timeframes.

The report pack outlines the timescales for addressing reported issues:

• Emergency hazards to be investigated and remedied within 24 hours.
• Significant hazards to be inspected within 10 working days, with work to remedy the hazard starting within 5 working days of the initial investigation.
• Supplementary and non-urgent repairs to start within 12 weeks following the initial inspection.

The policy is also intended to align with other regulatory requirements, including the Housing Act 2004 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)¹, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, the Social Housing (Regulations) Act 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing Safety and Quality Standard, and the Secure Tenants of Local Housing Authorities (Right to Repair) Regulations 1994.

The policy aims to ensure that council properties are free from damp, mould, and condensation, and to demonstrate a zero-tolerance approach to these issues. The council intends to prioritise vulnerable tenants, such as those with respiratory conditions. The policy also aims to promote preventative maintenance and tenant education, and to embed a data-driven approach to monitor and improve the condition of the council's housing stock.

The policy outlines responsibilities for both the council and tenants. The council is responsible for investigating the cause of damp, mould and condensation, carrying out remedial repairs, and ensuring that staff are aware of the policy. The council also intends to take a proactive approach to identifying potential risks and trends in the housing stock, including carrying out regular stock condition surveys and implementing new technology to identify trends and humidity levels. Tenants are responsible for reporting evidence of damp, mould and condensation, allowing access for inspections and repairs, and cleaning extractor fan vents. Tenants are also asked to manage condensation by reducing the conditions that lead to it, such as covering pans when cooking, drying laundry outside, and keeping the house well-ventilated.

The report pack states that training of team members is essential to ensure accurate diagnosis of damp and delivery of effective solutions. All team members undertaking initial triaging of reports, surveys and inspections will be trained in the Housing Health and Safety Risk Rating System (HHSRS). Tenant education is also important, and the council intends to provide advice and guidance to tenants on how to manage condensation.

The report pack identifies several strategic priorities that the policy will support, including reducing inequality, delivering quality housing, and addressing the challenge of climate change. The policy aims to ensure that all tenants' individual needs and circumstances are considered when addressing damp, mould and condensation, including working with residents struggling with heating costs. The policy also aims to improve housing standards and create healthier homes for tenants. Additionally, the policy intends to introduce remedial works that not only improve the condition of the property but also have benefits to climate change by ensuring efficient thermal insulation is in place.

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee has already approved the proposed implementation of the Damp and Mould Policy, and recommended that the report be progressed to the Executive for final approval and implementation.

Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report 2024-25

The Executive are scheduled to consider the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for 2024-2025. The report includes details from the Annual Review of Local Authority Complaints issued by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the decisions of the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS). It reports on the overall number of complaints received by the council on a directorate basis for the full year 2024-2025, including performance against target response times and the percentage of complaints which were upheld. The report also provides details of those complaints which were upheld and the lessons learnt from them.

The council's complaints procedure includes two levels in response to formal complaints. Once the complaint has been considered and responded to by two separate officers, the complainant is advised that if they are not satisfied with the final response, they can seek redress from the relevant Ombudsman service. Complaints relating to the landlord function of the council can be escalated to the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS), while all other complaints fall under the jurisdiction of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

In April 2024, the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code (The Code) became statutory for all social housing providers. The council's policy was updated to ensure compliance with The Code, and the principles of The Code were adopted as a corporate policy across all directorates. The HOS has a statutory duty to monitor compliance with The Code, and they have powers to issue Complaint Handling Failure Orders where they find that performance is not conforming with The Code.

The Code requires an annual self-assessment where each of the 78 elements of The Code is considered and certified as either Complied with or Not Complied . The self-assessment shows that there is a high level of compliance with The Code. The self-assessment is available for inspection on the council's website.

The report pack states that there were 562 complaints received in 2024-2025, compared to 418 in the previous year. Of these, just over 53% (297) were upheld, which is in line with the 50% upheld last year. In instances where a complaint is upheld, customers are offered an explanation and an apology. In certain circumstances, they may also be offered some other form of redress. Additionally, the officer upholding the complaint completes a feedback form for the Directorate Complaints Officer outlining lessons learned, training needs and any recommended changes to procedures.

The largest single area of upheld issues was the Community Services Department, where a number of complaints were about services provided by contractors. A number of complaints upheld were regarding the Central Car Park, and as a result various improvements have been/will be undertaken this year.

The Directorate of Housing and Investments (DHI) received 433 complaints in total. A random sample of 10% (26) of the upheld complaints were reviewed for details of the learning points and action plans. The report pack states that there were no instances where the promised solution, action or redress had not been carried out. Where learning points identified a training need or a refresher briefing session for the tradesmen, checks have shown that this has taken place.

The LGSCO made decisions on 4 new complaints about City of Lincoln Council services, a significant reduction compared with the previous two years, which had 13 complaints moving to the Ombudsman stage. All four of the complaints taken to the LGSCO were closed after initial enquiries.

The Housing Ombudsman upheld 4 complaints made to it by council tenants. These 4 complaints resulted in 11 separate findings, and the council will receive an individual report to this effect. The details of the findings were as follows:

• One tenant complained about ongoing outstanding repairs which were not completed, and damp and mould which were not dealt with in accordance with policy. The HOS found fault with the council and issued a finding of Severe Maladministration in dealing with the reports of Damp and Mould and Maladministration for delays in responding to the complaint.
• One tenant complained about incorrect information being issued at the time of signing up for a new tenancy, and the condition of the property. The HOS found two separate findings of Service Failure.
• One tenant complained about damp and mould in the property, and the HOS found that the council did not address the issues in line with policy. The Ombudsman found Maladministration in the handling of damp and mould and Service Failure in the handling of the complaint.
• One tenant made a complaint which covered 10 different issues and aspects of their property and tenancy. The HOS found incidents of service failures and delays. This complaint led to 5 findings of Service Failures.

The report pack notes that there has been a marked increase in the overall number of complaints received compared to the previous year, which was anticipated due to changes made following the introduction of the Housing Ombudsman Service Complaint Handling Code. The Housing Ombudsman views a high number of complaints as an indication that a landlord's complaints process is transparent and accessible.

The Executive are also scheduled to consider and approve the Governing Body Response to the Annual Complaints and Service Improvement Report for 2024 – 2025.