The Uttlesford Council Housing Board was scheduled to meet to discuss complaints, a new damp and mould policy, and an improvement plan for Axis Europe. The board was also expected to receive updates on complaints and a mock inspection of the housing service.

Damp and Mould

A new comprehensive process for identifying and addressing damp and mould issues within residential properties was scheduled to be presented. The process was developed in response to Awaab's Law, which places statutory duties on social housing providers to investigate and remedy hazards such as damp and mould within strict timescales.

The report pack stated that the new process establishes four distinct routes for identifying damp and mould issues:

• Resident reporting
• Operative inquiry post repair
• Housing officer property visits
• Proactive independent inspections

The report pack also included a draft of the council's new Dampness, Mould and Condensation Policy. According to the draft policy, Uttlesford Council is committed to delivering an effective and timely response to all reports of damp, mould and condensation. The policy was intended to ensure that residents reporting damp and mould are treated with respect and empathy, and that a data driven, risk-based approach is adopted using stock condition survey data.

The draft policy also stated that Uttlesford Council would aim to acknowledge reports of dampness within 24 hours and provide an initial response within 3 days, depending on risk assessment. An inspection would then be targeted within 10 days, and works would be raised within 24 hours or 5 days following the inspection. Dampness works specified would be completed no later than 20 days, subject to assessment of risk or vulnerability faced by residents.

A self-assessment against recommendations made by the Housing Ombudsman Service was also scheduled to be presented.

Axis Europe Improvement Plan

An update report on the first six months of the maintenance contract with Axis Europe was scheduled to be discussed. The report pack stated that there had been significant challenges that were affecting the quality of service tenants receive. Problems identified included delayed repairs, poor communication, and difficulties managing empty properties ready for letting.

The report pack stated that following urgent discussions with Axis Europe senior management, commitments had been secured for immediate improvements with clear timescales. The report outlined the main issues affecting tenants, what was being done to fix them, and how progress would be monitored.

The report pack included a table summarising key performance indicators for August 2025:

The report pack stated that an immediate action plan was being implemented, with emergency fixes to be completed within 1 week, short-term improvements within 1 month, and major service transformation within 3 months.

Complaints

The Uttlesford District Council Residents Network had conducted a review of the council's responses to stage one complaints, and their findings were scheduled to be discussed. The review examined the council's responses to complaints and associated policies and procedures. The aim of the review was to examine the Council's responses to stage one complaints and associated policies and procedures. The report spells out findings and recommendations and suggestions for a new template for complaints response letters so that such letters could be improved. This will make response letters more readable, resident focused, more empathetic and raise resident satisfaction with how their complaints were handled.

The report pack stated that the review looked forensically at evidence – both on paper and through listening and interviewing staff, rather than relying on personal experience and anecdote.

The review included a document review of:

• The Housing Ombudsman Service Complaint Handling Code
• Uttlesford Council's policies on Complaints (2025) and Compensation (2025)
• Evidence of staff training held in 2025
• The template used to guide complaints letters
• 40 redacted complaints responses to complaints made by residents during 2024/25

The Residents Network also interviewed the Repairs & Planned Works Manager and the Acting Housing Strategy and Operations Manager.

The report pack stated that overall, the network was impressed with the response letters, but made a number of recommendations for improvement, including using more description regarding what went wrong, including more description of what any remedy would look like with a timeframe, and using empathetic language.

The Housing Board was also scheduled to receive a Quarter 1 Complaints Update for April, May and June 2025.