Council welcomes record response to tenant survey

Redditch Borough Council has published the results of its latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey, showing increased engagement from tenants and continued improvement across housing services.

Almost 900 tenants took part in this year’s survey to feed back on the services the council delivers as a social housing landlord – a 35 per cent increase on last year.

The annual survey, which asks questions set nationally by the Regulator of Social Housing, showed increased satisfaction for every question. However, the council recognises that there is still more work to do.

Redditch Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr Bill Hartnett, said: “I want to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. The big increase in responses shows that more tenants are understanding why their feedback matters and how it helps shape our services.

“What tenants tell us directly informs our priorities and improvement plans. While we have clear responsibilities as a landlord, it is vital that we listen to what residents tell us is working well and where we need to do better.

“It is encouraging to see higher levels of satisfaction as the changes we have been making continue to take effect. However we are under no illusions, this is a long‑term programme of improvement and we remain focused on making steady progress year on year.”

Overall satisfaction increased to 65 per cent this year, an increase of 8 percentage points on last year and an 18 percentage point improvement since the first survey three years ago.

In that time, large improvements in satisfaction that the council provides a home that is safe reflect significant recent investment in gas, electrical and fire safety works, alongside more proactive inspection and maintenance programmes. Satisfaction with engagement and communication has also substantially improved.
Satisfaction with how the council deals with anti‑social behaviour and complaints have also improved this year, but overall scores in those areas continue to be a priority for further improvement.

Feedback from this year’s survey will now be used to update the council’s Housing Improvement Plan, ensuring future work reflects what matters most to tenants.

Detailed results are published at www.redditchbc.gov.uk/tenantsurvey, and will feature in the council’s next Housing Annual Report, due to be published in the summer.