Folkestone & Hythe District Council has been recognised as one of the country’s best performing council housing landlords after being awarded the highest possible consumer standards judgement.
The council has been awarded the Regulator of Social Housing's (RSH) highest consumer standards rating, C1, becoming the first council in Kent to achieve the distinction and one of just 13% of councils nationwide to hold the top grade.
The judgement follows a detailed four-month long inspection by the RSH who found that the council met all four consumer standards.
The inspection highlighted a number of strengths across the councils housing service including a clear commitment to involving tenants in decision making, a strong, current understanding of its housing stock and high levels of compliance with health and safety requirements.
Cllr Rebecca Shoob, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said: “Becoming the first local authority in Kent to achieve the top rating from the Regulator of Social Housing is not only a significant achievement, but also a testament to the dedication of staff, tenants and partners.
“While we are proud of this recognition, we remain committed to keeping tenants at the heart of what we do and improving the services we provide.”
Elaine Bostock, Chair of the Strategic Tenant Advisory Panel (STAP), added: “Since we created STAP in 2021, I have been very privileged to be chair to a group of wonderful, like-minded tenants, who have been instrumental in helping to shape the service and improve conditions for all tenants. We feel heard and respected, and we know the work we do and the effort we put in, really counts.
“I am delighted that the RSH team recognised this in their inspections with STAP and the Scrutiny Panel observations and interviews. We are overjoyed for the Housing Team, they have done such great work and it has been wonderful to have been able to be part of such a well-deserved outcome.”
For more information about the inspections visit our website.