The Tenants' Strategic Group of Somerset Council is scheduled to meet on 29 September 2025. The agenda includes updates on tenant engagement groups, void property management, housing standards, tenant satisfaction, and financial performance. The group will also receive a directorate report.

Quarter 1 Performance and Finance Report

The Tenants' Strategic Group is scheduled to receive the Quarter 1 HRA Performance and Finance Report 2025 2026 from Claire Reed, Case Management Lead, and Kerry Prisco, Strategic Finance Business Partner. The report includes an overview of the council's financial position and performance in the first quarter of 2025/26.

The report highlights a forecast revenue underspend of £1.249m, with positive variances expected in repairs and maintenance (£0.774m), supervision and management (£0.134m), and other operating income and expenditure (£0.634m). However, a negative variance of £0.286m is forecast for special services, mainly due to a new cleaning contract.

The report also provides updates on key performance indicators:

• Customer Service and Satisfaction: Overall satisfaction decreased from 78% in November 2024 to 74% in May 2025, but remains above the median quartile compared to similar organisations. Average wait times for repair calls have improved.
• Complaints: The percentage of complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code increased by 46% between April and June 2025, following the establishment of a new complaints resolution team.
• Repairs and Maintenance: Completion rates for both emergency and non-emergency repairs are showing a positive trend.
• Compliance: The council reports 100% compliance with gas safety checks, fire risk assessments and asbestos management surveys. Electrical safety certificate compliance is just above the median quartile compared to similar organisations.
• Asset Management: The percentage of homes not meeting the Decent Homes Standard has improved since January 2025, but remains just above the lower quartile.
• Rent Recovery: Performance in rent recovery remains strong, consistently hitting above the Housemark top quartile, despite the rollout of Universal Credit[^2]. [^2]: Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It's paid monthly - or twice a month for some people in Scotland.
• Lettings and Voids: Void turnaround performance has seen a small decrease compared to the end of the previous quarter.
• Supported Housing: Sheltered housing review performance has dipped due to team capacity challenges.
• Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB): There has been a decrease in active ASB cases.

The report also notes that the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) approved Capital Programme for 2025/26 onwards is £264.903m. Actual spend to date is £8.615m, with a forecast outturn of £69.299m for 2025/26.

Directorate Report

The Tenants' Strategic Group is scheduled to receive a Directorate Report, providing an update on work undertaken and progress made by the Housing Directorate since the last meeting in July 2025.

The report covers several key areas:

• Responsive Repairs and Void Repairs: A new permanent Voids Manager has been recruited. Data from July 2025 indicates that 98% of emergency responsive repairs and 92% of non-emergency responsive repairs were completed within the target time. Three external contractors are supporting the in-house team for void repairs.
• Property Safety Compliance: All property safety compliance checks and works are ongoing, including gas safety checks, water risk assessments, electrical inspections, asbestos surveys, fire risk assessments, lift and stair-lift checks, and radon monitoring. The electrical inspection testing programme shows 97.32% compliance.
• Capital Programme: The Capital Programme team continues to deliver property safety and improvement programmes.
• Asset Management: Option appraisals have been undertaken for potential disposal of existing properties in the HRA. A joint project with Homes in Somerset (HiS) to produce an Asset Management Framework continues.
• Sheltered and Extra Care Housing: Interviews have been held to fill vacant positions within the team.
• Lettings: 32 homes have been let at the new housing development in Minehead. Officers are working to decant tenants at Duke Street flats in Taunton, pending major works.
• Income: A new post holder has joined the team to focus on former tenant arrears. The rent recovery team are working with tenants to make affordable arrangements to repay any arrears.
• Tenancy Management: The team are working with Maintenance and Asset colleagues to decant the main block of flats at Duke Street. The Estates Team were successful in obtaining a possession order against a tenant who had been neglecting the property.
• Tenant Engagement: The team are supporting the work of the Tenants Strategic Group (TSG) and Tenants' Action Group (TAG).
• Complaint Handling: Positive improvements are being seen in complaint handling performance and response times.
• Performance: All mandatory data returns have been submitted to the Regulator, Housemark, and the government.
• Policy: The Policy Officer is working through a list of priorities, including damp and mould, mobility scooters and e-bikes, decant, and domestic abuse.

Tenant Satisfaction Measures Presentation

Sharon Yarde, Tenant Engagement Lead, is scheduled to deliver a TSM presentation, which will summarise the results of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey conducted in May 2025.

The presentation indicates that overall satisfaction is at 74%. While this represents a 4% decrease from November 2025, satisfaction levels in many areas are reportedly at their highest since the surveys began. 81% of tenants surveyed felt that their home was well maintained, 85% felt that their home is safe and 83% felt that they were treated fairly and with respect.

The presentation will also highlight areas where satisfaction has increased, including:

• Safe home (3%)
• Repairs (3%)
• Time taken to repair (2%)
• Communal areas (10%)
• Grounds maintenance (3%)
• Complaints handling (16%)
• Treating tenants fairly and with respect (6%)
• Keeping tenants informed (1%)
• Easy to deal with (9%)
• Positive contribution to the neighbourhood (11%)

Areas where satisfaction has decreased include overall satisfaction (4%), anti-social behaviour (5%), and listening to tenants (1%).

Acuity, who conducted the survey, identified repairs and customer service as areas for improvement. The presentation notes that 11% of tenants expressed an interest in becoming more engaged with the council, and that residents aged 85+ years old are the most satisfied with the overall housing services provided by the council (100%).

The presentation concludes that the council needs to continue with their action plans to address the areas of improvement, and to carry on with the Grounds Maintenance Focus Group.

Engagement Group Updates

The Tenants' Strategic Group is scheduled to receive an Engaged Group Update from Sharon Yarde. The update will cover the work being carried out by various tenant engagement groups within Somerset Council.

The report mentions several groups and their activities:

• Tenants' Action Group (TAG): Two new tenants joined the group in August. The group has two applications to discuss in October.
• Scrutiny-TAG: The group has chosen Estate Walkabouts to scrutinise next. They are putting their findings together after attending 11 estate walkabouts and meeting with Julie Sabey, the Estate Officers and the Sheltered Housing officers.
• Voids: Visits have been put on hold due to staffing issues within the VOIDS team. The Tenant Engagement team met with the new VOIDS manager on 18th September to re-commence the group.
• Social Funding: The group successfully spent all the funds last year and produced an annual report. They are starting to receive funds for this financial year and currently have approximately £15,000 from AA Woods, EEM and Travis Perkins.
• Grounds Maintenance: The group have been doing Estate Inspections and visited areas with the Estate Officers. Grounds maintenance walkabouts will recommence in October.
• Damp and Mould: The group met on 11th July 2025, and progress against the action plan had been made.
• Capital Programme Monitoring: Sam Rickward is the elected Capital Programme Monitor who meets with Nigel Loxton.
• Building Safety Group: They met on 15th July to discuss the progress of the EV charging policy.
• Consumer Standard Action Plan Monitoring: All engaged tenants were invited to an in-person presentation of the Consumer Standard Action Plan.
• Policy Group: A new engaged tenant group will be introduced shortly to ensure that policies and procedures are influenced by engaged tenants.

Introduction from new Voids Manager & VOIDS performance update

Nigel Manfield, Voids Repair & Stores Manager, is scheduled to give an introduction and VOIDS performance update. The presentation covers the importance of void repairs, the challenges involved, and recent changes and performance results.

The presentation highlights that void repairs are only part of the process, and that many teams work together to minimise the time this takes, including lettings, repairs, asbestos, electrical, and gas safety teams.

The presentation also discusses the concept of a 'Lean System', which involves quick wins inside the 28-day notice period, early information gathering, and better labour allocation.

Ongoing challenges include the condition of returning properties, new contractors bedding in, supplier chain logistics, outstanding positions to be filled, and finding quality tradespeople.

Changes include Nigel Manfield joining the team in August, and the need to fill a second surveyor position.

Performance data for August and September 2025 is included, showing an increase in the percentage of properties returned under 40 calendar days.

Summary of the Housing Regulator's Competence and Conduct Standard

Simon Lewis, Head of Housing, is scheduled to present a report summarising the Housing Regulator's Competence and Conduct Standard.

The report states that the Competence and Conduct Standard is part of the government's implementation of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023¹. It introduces a national framework to raise professionalism and service quality across the social housing sector and will come into force in October 2026.

Key requirements for housing providers include:

• Senior professionals must hold or work towards regulated housing management qualifications.
• The standard applies to all staff delivering housing services, including frontline workers, managers, and board members.
• Staff must demonstrate ethical conduct, accountability, and respect.

The report notes that Somerset Council landlord services has developed a matrix setting out all roles and this will be completed with required competencies, knowledge, experience and qualifications and will then be cross-checked against each officer undertaking this role.

Property Standard Sheltered 2017 Update

Dan Bennett, Asset Manager, is scheduled to provide an update on the 2017 Sheltered Housing Review.

The report explains that in 2017, Taunton Deane Council commissioned a review of their sheltered housing provision, triggered by a perception that the sheltered housing was becoming increasingly difficult to let and unfit for purpose.

The review made a number of recommendations, which were built into the business plan for delivery through capital programmes. This work was delivered by 2021, and the properties are now maintained at this standard.

The review also highlighted additional recommendations, including improved signage, access, scooter storage, bin storage, communal flooring, external lighting, and landscaping.

The report notes that although the flats and communal corridors at Kilkenny Court had been modernised, much of the external appearance had not changed since the 1980s. Similar issues were found at Lodge Close.

The report recommends undertaking stock condition surveys of all communal and external areas within extra care and sheltered schemes to identify the investment need.