Gateshead Council has reported continued improvements to its housing services since a Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) inspection in April last year.
In April 2025, the RSH identified 13 weaknesses in the local authority’s housing stock ranging from condition surveys, damp and mould reporting performance, and its backlog of repairs. The council received a C2 rating from the regulator, meaning “some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed”.
By November the same year, the local authority had reported that repairs were speeding up after having brought more jobs, like roofing, fencing, and damp and mould works, in house.
Now, further improvements have been found by the council ranging from:
- Completed stock condition surveys increased from 78% in October to 84% by the end of January
- Damp and mould work being completed inside the 55-day target
- Closing in on a 15% out-of-time repairs target against works in progress.
- Void or empty homes being worked on reducing, including a 22% reduction across November and December
Councillors were also told that early indications from a currently ongoing Tenant Satisfaction Survey suggest a rise in tenants being satisfied with how their complaints were handled. It is hoped it could rise to around 32% from a low of 18%.
The council’s report states: “At the most recent meeting [February 2026], the regulator welcomed the continued progress and the evidence provided. Service leads presented updates against each area of weakness, which were scrutinised in detail.”
It continued: “The regulator also indicated they would like to meet with the council’s chief executive and housing portfolio holder at an appropriate point in the new reporting cycle, once the post election period has settled.”
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