South Tyneside Council hailed for top housing standards after bringing services back in-house
Praise has been given to the “tireless” work of the council’s housing team in delivering “incredibly high” standards of services for tenants – along with reducing empty property numbers.
Council houses in the borough had previously been looked after by South Tyneside Homes, a local authority arms length management organisation, before being brought back ‘in-house’ in November last year.
The process saw the management of around 18,000 council properties brought back into South Tyneside Council.
At the latest meeting of the local authority’s ruling cabinet, a performance report was presented showcasing the successes and challenges the council faced in various areas across the last year, including housing, as of March 2025.
Cllr Jane Carter, deputy council leader, speaking at the meeting, highlighted they have seen “consistently high performance” across its housing services.
She said: “It’s been a busy year for housing colleagues following their move in house last fall.
“They have worked tirelessly to ensure that this has been a smooth transition and the standard of services provided to tenants has remained incredibly high.”
Figures showed an “impressive” 99.99% of council housing stock emergency repairs were completed within target timescales, the same as the previous quarter, while 100% of the housing met Decent Home standards.
In total 91.9% of non-emergency repairs were completed within the targeted timeframe for 2024/25, a slight reduction from the 92.5% which was reported at the end of December, and below the council’s target of 94%.
Meanwhile, as with every quarter since the housing transition, 100% of required gas safety, fire risk, asbestos management, lift safety and electric checks were successfully completed.
Council chiefs said this has all happened while they have “worked hard to reduce void and empty properties, which are now at the lowest since before the pandemic.”
Figures show 1.5% of properties owned by the council are vacant and/or void, a decrease of 0.2% compared to the previous quarter, and down from a high of 2.1% in 2020/21.
Reports also highlighted how 29 new “ultra-efficient homes” set to be made available for social rent are being built across the new Reynolds Avenue, South Shields, and Lizard Lane, Marsden, housing developments.
This follows £2.79million in grant funding being secured through the Homes England Affordable Homes Programme.
Meanwhile councillors also praised South Tyneside Council housing services for being shortlisted in a range of categories at the Northern Housing Awards.
These include ‘Best Repairs and Maintenance Services’, ‘Best Retrofit Initiative or Project’, and ‘Best Affordable Housing Development (up to £5million)’.
Cllr Carter, cabinet member for housing and community safety, concluded: “All in all there is clearly a lot to celebrate here.
“We are taking good care of our tenants and offering excellent services, so I’d like to take a moment to thank all of the staff involved, as well as the tenants.”