Tenants report increased satisfaction with Council Housing Management Service

Council Housing tenants in Cheshire West and Chester have reported increased satisfaction with landlord and repairs services for the first quarter of 2026-27. The Council's Cabinet will meet to discuss the progress of Council Housing and other Housing and Homelessness services on Wednesday 16 September, with the Together with Tenants Annual Report of the Council Housing Management Service for 2025-26 also now having been published. Data provided to Cabinet for 2026-27 shows that the overall satisfaction of tenants with their landlord services has increased from 62.8% in March 2026 to 65.1% in June 2026, with overall satisfaction with the repairs service increasing from 67.5% to 73.5%. The Council has been working hard to improve services for tenants and leaseholders, ensuring homes are safe and well maintained, services are transparent and accountable, neighbourhoods are supported, and residents can have a say in decisions that affect them. These improvements support the Regulator of Social Housing's Consumer Standards, helping the Council to provide better services, listen to residents, and make sure tenants and leaseholders are at the heart of what the Service does. Some of the highlights from the Together with Tenants Annual Report of the Council Housing Management Service for 2025-26 include: 164 residents helped shape our services. 100% of emergency repairs completed or made safe within 24 hours. 100% gas safety compliance achieved. 99% of complaints responded to within timescales. 98% of repair appointments kept. 98.4% of homes met the Decent Homes Standard. 80% of home condition surveys completed across Council homes. 164 homes benefited from energy efficiency improvements. Over £1 million extra income secured for tenants through free money advice and wellbeing support. Staff raised £5,225.76 for the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. 216 anti-social behaviour cases successfully resolved. £47,752 awarded to community projects across Cheshire West and Chester. The Council Housing Management Service team has also been completing damp and mould remedial works to ensure compliance with legislation and consumer standards, and has begun the process of procuring new contracts for responsive repairs, maintenance and gas compliance and servicing. The Council Housing Services team has increased the prevention of homelessness and reduced the number of people at risk of homelessness who are temporarily placed in hotel accommodation. The Together with Tenants Annual Report has been produced in collaboration with the Council Housing Management Board (CHMB), who provide oversight to housing management services received by council tenants. The CHMB is a forum where tenants, senior council officers and councillors meet to review, discuss and influence the development and delivery of council housing management services as an advisory body to Cabinet. It provides a channel of communication between tenants and leaseholders, officers and Cabinet Members so that the Council knows what matters most to its residents. The CHMB support the council in delivering its vision of a stronger future where we all play our part in thriving, caring and sustainable communities. Cllr Christine Warner, Cabinet Member for Homes and Planning and Chair of the Council Housing Management Board, said: 'These reports to Cabinet show pleasing progress following the decision to bring Council Housing Management Services and other housing related services back in-house. Although there is still a lot of work to do, I am delighted that we are starting to see the impact that having the Council directly deliver housing management services, a Safe at Home service, and homelessness support can make to the everyday experiences of council tenants and residents across the borough. These aren't just houses, they are people's homes, and being closer to our tenants means that we can do everything we can to continue to provide them with a safe and good quality home. I thank tenants and service users for bearing with us while we continue to get to grips with the new service. Making sure all residents have a safe and good quality home will always remain our priority.' The management of council housing and other housing and homelessness support related services have been delivered by Cheshire West and Chester Council since Wednesday 1 April 2026, having previously been managed on behalf of the Council by an external provider. The Council owns 5,300 homes in the borough, mainly in the areas of Ellesmere Port, Neston and Winsford. Bringing services back in-house will provide long-term stability for tenants and has given the Council direct control of service delivery to ensure it meets regulatory standards and provide a more flexible and responsive service for our tenants. As part of the transition, the Council's home improvement agency has been renamed the Safe at Home service. This service provides support to people that have been referred for disabled adaptations via Disabled Facilities Grants and assists homeowners on low incomes to make essential repairs to their homes. Homelessness Support Services for Temporary Accommodation, Out of Hours homelessness statutory duty services, the Supported accommodation gateway, homelessness prevention services, advice and information and tenancy support are also now delivered by the Council, giving the Council more control over improving outcomes for vulnerable people and better aligning these services with the homeless prevention services already delivered in-house. The Council's statutory homelessness service delivered by Housing Options remains unchanged. Homelessness Support Services for young people, rough sleeping and supported accommodation are now delivered by Forum Housing, a specialist local provider with significant experience supporting people affected by homelessness. More information about Housing and Homelessness services is available on the Council website: Housing | Cheshire West and Chester Council Read the full Together with Tenants Annual Report of the Council Housing Management Service 2025-26 online: Council Housing Annual Report 2025-26 Information for tenants and leaseholders Tenants and leaseholders can contact the Council using the details below for all housing management matters: Website : www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/housing Contact telephone number : 0300 123 7724 (for out of hours call the same number but you will be taken automatically to the out of hours service). Face-to-Face Meetings will continue as normal at: The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 0BA or Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1AH. The drop-in sessions will take place on Tuesdays 10am – 5pm and Thursdays 1pm – 5pm. App: tenants are advised to re-register for the MyTenancy+ app to enable them to view their rent statement, add people to their tenancy, report repairs, raise neighbourhood issues and access other services: https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/housing/council-housing/paying-your-rent/mytenancy Online: The quickest and easiest way to report any issues is via our online form on the Council website: https://my.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/service/Council_Housing_Management_Service_Enquiry Safe at Home team - Service users can contact the Safe at Home team by emailing: safeathome@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk Homelessness support information Anyone who is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days and needs assistance should telephone: 0808 175 3595 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am - 4.30pm) and (Wednesday 1pm - 4.30pm). Anyone homeless out of normal office hours and needs accommodation can ring Out of Hours on 0300 123 7035. This number is not for general housing advice but for people who need emergency accommodation. If you have concerns about someone rough sleeping or about to rough sleep, you can report it to our Outreach team via StreetLink which connects vulnerable people to the help they need.