Bury Metropolitan Borough Council has been given a C3 consumer grade by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after inspectors found serious health and safety failings.
The regulator found limited evidence that tenants could meaningfully scrutinise performance or influence services, and it added that the council could not provide sufficient assurance on the accuracy of its health and safety compliance information.
More than 2,800 fire safety remedial actions were also found to be overdue at the time of inspection, most assessed as medium or low risk.
Weaknesses were also identified in repairs, including when it comes to dealing with damp and mould, as well as anti-social behaviour, complaint handling and understanding tenants' diverse needs.
However, the RSH found the council was reducing its backlog of overdue repairs and improving its data quality. It is not proposing enforcement action at this stage, though this remains under review.
Housing services returned to direct council management in February 2024.
Cabinet member for housing services Cllr Ayesha Arif said the council accepted the findings and apologised that services had ‘fallen short’.
‘We’ve been working to address longstanding problems since housing services returned to the council, and the regulator has recognised that progress. But we know there is much more to do,’ she continued.
‘We will use these findings to focus and accelerate improvements, working closely with the regulator and our tenants. What matters is that tenants see and experience those improvements for themselves.’
