The Housing Liaison Group was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 16th September 2025, to discuss tenant satisfaction, performance, and proposed changes to the council's constitution. The meeting was also scheduled to include presentations on Awaab's Law¹ and the Scrutiny Work Programme.

Abolishing the Housing Liaison Group

A discussion paper on the implications of proposed changes to the council's constitution was included in the report pack. The paper noted that the Housing Liaison Group was established to enhance tenant involvement, and that this had been positively received. It also noted that following the introduction of the new Consumer Standards by the Regulator of Social Housing², Bassetlaw District Council has been exploring best practice approaches to further strengthen scrutiny and transparency.

The proposed amendment to the council's constitution recommends abolishing the Housing Liaison Group and establishing a Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee.

The new sub-committee would:

• Report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
• Submit an annual report to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

The proposal was scheduled to be presented to the full council on 18 September.

The report pack stated that the benefits of the proposed changes would be:

• Integration into the council's formal committee structure
• Statutory housing functions to be scrutinised by the sub-committee
• Ability to advise Cabinet on housing-related matters
• Joint scrutiny between tenants and elected members
• Enhanced performance management
• Option to co-opt subject matter experts
• Increased transparency and accountability
• Annual reporting to Overview and Scrutiny Committee
• Officer support from the Policy Team to ensure impartiality
• Expanded tenant and leaseholder representation (increase to four)
• Increased elected member representation (increase to five)

The report pack also included appendices containing proposed changes to the council's constitution, and scrutiny procedure rules.

Performance and Tenant Satisfaction

Stephen Lau, Performance and Insights Officer, was scheduled to give a presentation on performance in Quarter 1.

The report pack included a Tenant Satisfaction Measures Report for Quarter 1. The report stated that although overall satisfaction is below benchmark, keeping properties in good repair and maintaining building safety measures all exceed benchmark. It also noted that in Quarter 1, 7 in 10 tenants were satisfied with the overall service provided by Bassetlaw District Council. 14% of tenants in Quarter 1 (vs 4% in Quarter 4) picked neither satisfied nor dissatisfied . Tenants aged 75+ were significantly more likely to be satisfied.

With regards to repairs and maintenance, the report stated that in Quarter 1, 4 in 5 tenants were satisfied with recent repair and home maintenance, and 3 out of 4 tenants were satisfied with the timeliness of repairs.

With regards to building safety, the report stated that in Quarter 1, over 4 in 5 tenants were satisfied that Bassetlaw DC provides a home that is safe, and that satisfaction remains higher among older tenants, especially those aged 75 and over, who consistently rate this area above the average.

With regards to engagement, the report stated that in Quarter 1, over 7 in 10 tenants felt treated fairly and with respect and kept informed, and around 6 out of 10 tenants are satisfied with trust to Bassetlaw DC as well as listens and acts.

With regards to complaint handling, the report stated that in Quarter 1, just 1 in 4 tenants reported making a complaint in the past 12 months, and around a quarter (of total 49 tenants) are satisfied with Bassetlaw DC's approach to complaints.

With regards to neighbourhood management, the report stated that in Quarter 1, around 3 in 4 tenants are satisfied with the cleanliness and upkeep of communal areas, and around two-thirds (65%) felt that Bassetlaw DC has made a positive impact in their neighbourhood.

The report also included data on management information measures. For building safety, Bassetlaw District Council achieved:

• 99.97% for gas safety checks
• 100% for fire safety checks
• 100% for asbestos safety checks
• 100% for water safety checks
• 100% for lift safety checks

For decent home standards and repairs:

• 10.21% for proportion of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard³
• 99.11% for proportion of non-emergency responsive repairs completed within the landlord's target timescale
• 99.30% for proportion of emergency responsive repairs completed within the landlord's target timescale

For complaints:

• 7.51 stage one complaints received per 1,000 homes (49 cases)
• 0.91 stage two complaints received per 1,000 homes (6 cases)
• 100% for proportion of stage one complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code timescales
• 100% for proportion of stage two complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code timescales

For anti-social behaviour:

• 9.04 number of anti-social behaviour cases, opened per 1,000 homes (59 cases)
• 0.61 number of anti-social behaviour cases that involve hate incidents opened per 1,000 homes (4 cases)

With regards to voids:

• 107 total number of current standard voids
• 270 total number of all current voids
• 138.76 average time taken to relet standard voids (days)

Awaab's Law

Marie Bowler, Repairs and Maintenance Manager, was scheduled to give a presentation on Awaab's Law.

Scrutiny Work Programme

Raj Sharman was scheduled to give a presentation on the Scrutiny Work Programme.

Tenant Engagement

Joshua Booth, Tenant Engagement Officer, was scheduled to give a tenant engagement update presentation.