Hackney Council to accelerate improvements to its Housing Service

Tenants and residents living in Hackney Council homes are set to benefit from an accelerated improvement plan that targets investment into the Council's Housing Service’s capacity and its ability to provide a quality service.

The Housing Improvement Plan identifies some specific service improvements including: 

• reducing the time taken to complete repairs and works to tackle damp, mould and leaks and making the service more accessible and accountable; 
• installing a fit for purpose and secure ICT system - including a new integrated housing management system that will enable staff to get the information and the tools to deliver a high quality repairs and housing management service;
• speeding up the response to and resolution of any complaints about poor service;
• investing in workforce development and training to ensure that the teams have the right tools to do the job.  

The Improvement Plan, recommended for approval at the Council’s Cabinet meeting on Monday 21 July, sets out targets and milestones for delivering the improvements and how it will involve tenants and residents in shaping the service.

These include:

• having no repairs outstanding that are over three months old by the end of September 2025 and eliminating the repairs backlog completely by the end of December 2025.
• establishing a Housing Advisory Panel - an independent body of housing experts and tenants to help guide the Council’s efforts to improve the management of Council homes and services - by the end of September 2025
• improving how the Council manages, learns from and resolves complaints from residents by end of December 2025  
• implementing new ICT systems to complete the housing services recovery from the cyber attack, which will help to better manage resident repairs requests, rents and service charges by March 2026.

The updated Improvement Plan also includes the feedback from the Regulator of Social Housing and recent recommendations from the Housing Ombudsman. 

The Regulator, Ombudsman, Councillors, tenants and residents will receive regular updates on the Improvement Plan as it is being delivered and the impact it will have on improving the Service.

Cllr Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Housing Management and Regeneration, said: “Improving the quality, efficiency and delivery of Hackney's Housing Services for all tenants and residents in Council owned homes is front and centre of the Council's focus, the Housing Improvement Plan will help realise this ambition.

“But little of this improvement will come about unless there is the support for the housing staff who have been struggling to provide a service day in day out without having the right tools to do the job. 

“With the backing of the Council, the service will be invested into to provide the support and tools that are sorely needed to deliver an outstanding and fit for purpose service for tenants and residents.

“To keep the delivery of the Improvement Plan on track, the Council will be working alongside tenants and residents, Councillors and industry professionals to provide the lived experience and professional expert advice, analysis and assessment to deliver the best service in the capital.

“The journey will take time, this is not some quick fix so the improvements will be designed properly and implemented professionally but all are focussed on delivering for tenants and residents.” 

The cabinet paper on the Housing Improvement Plan can be seen here