'Improvement needed' in North Northamptonshire Council's housing department, says Government inspector
NNC has ‘some weaknesses’ as landlord of 8,080 social homes, according to a regulator following an inspection.
The government Regulator of Social Housing inspected the authority’s housing social housing services during December 2025.
Their report, released this week acknowledged that while some improvements have been made, it was too early to monitor their impact.
Inspectors looked at four key areas – Safety and Quality; Neighbourhood and Community; Transparency, Influence and Accountability; and Tenancy.
They observed North Northamptonshire Council’s housing improvement and assurance board and a tenant advisory panel meeting. They also met with tenants, officers, and councillors.
The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate understanding of the condition of their homes. The council’s information is correct for 83 per cent of its 8,080 homes, but 14 per cent of them do not meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). There are plans in place to ensure this standard is met by 2028.
Inspectors found the council is meeting its legal health and safety requirements but found weaknesses in delivery of repairs and maintenance.
The Neighbourhood and Community Standard requires landlords to work with partners to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing. The inspector found that the council works proactively relevant organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour but found weaknesses in monitoring.
The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to take tenants’ views into account in their decision‑making. Inspectors saw evidence that tenant feedback has had a positive influence but raised concerns that the authority does not fully understand the diverse needs of its tenants across all protected characteristics.
There were also concerns about how quickly the council had responded to complaints.
In the final standard – Tenancy – inspectors noted that the council has a clear tenancy policy and said that it was engaging ‘constructively’ and understood the issues that needed to be addressed.
The council was given an overall rating of ‘C2’ and a spokesman said that the authority welcomed the ‘balanced and fair assessment set out in the judgement’.
A statement said that the council ‘welcomes the recognition of strengths across its housing service’, including its ‘positive culture of treating tenants with fairness and respect’.
Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council and Executive Member for Housing, said: “I would like to thank the regulator, our staff, and our tenants for their openness and constructive engagement throughout the inspection process.
“While we are pleased that the regulator has recognised the progress made so far, we know there is more to do. We are committed to delivering improvements at pace, with many actions already in motion. Our Housing Improvement Board continues to play a crucial role in overseeing progress, supported by the invaluable input of tenant representatives who ensure that the voices of our residents remain central to our work.
“We will continue to work closely with the Regulator of Social Housing as we deliver the required improvements. We will also make sure tenants are kept informed and involved at every stage.
“Our housing services remain a top priority for the council, and we are determined to achieve a full C1 grading. This judgement is an important point in our improvement journey, great homes are essential for underpinning many of the priorities in our Corporate Plan, and we will continue to drive forward the changes needed to deliver good quality housing and the best possible outcomes for all our tenants and leaseholders.”