Council's first inspection by regulator of social housing welcomed
Bassetlaw District Council has received its judgement from the Regulator of Social Housing following an inspection process that took place between February and May 2026.
This is the first time the council has been inspected by the Regulator, which assesses how social landlords are performing against four Consumer Standards.
Bassetlaw achieved a C2 rating: the highest rating a housing provider can achieve is C1, with C4 being the lowest.
The Regulator reported there to be some weaknesses in delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards, with improvement needed; specifically in relation to the Safety and Quality Standard and Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.
However, the regulator acknowledged that the Council is performing well in other consumer standards, understands the issues it needs to address and is already taking action towards rectifying these weaknesses, in addition to the constructive way that it engaged with inspectors.
Cllr Lynne Schuller, cabinet member for housing and estates at Bassetlaw District Council, said: “We welcome and accept the judgement of the regulator which confirms the areas where improvement is needed and thank them for this external scrutiny.
"This will provide absolute clarity of focus, so that we can continue with our journey towards achieving the top C1 rating.
“We are also pleased with the positive aspects the regulator reported on throughout the inspection, especially that Bassetlaw’s Housing Team demonstrated that it treats its tenants with fairness and respect, evidenced by a positive and respectful staff culture and strong tenant feedback.”
Inspectors from the Regulator of Social Housing reached their judgement following an intensive process that included reviewing a wide range of documents, attending council meetings and speaking with officers and tenants.
Cllr Schuller added: “I’d like to thank all the staff, councillors and tenants who were part of this process for their hard work which contributed to achieving a positive inspection outcome.
"We are fully committed to working with the regulator and our tenants to continue to drive improvement of our services each and every day.”
The regulator provided feedback on the housing services the Council delivers across four consumer standards: Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Safety and Quality Standard, Tenancy Standard, and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.
In summary, the feedback highlighted the following:
Neighbourhood and Community Standard – Bassetlaw deals effectively with anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in line with its policy and procedures, and in partnership with relevant organisations, delivering positive outcomes for tenants in neighbourhoods where it provides homes
Safety and Quality Standard – Bassetlaw has a reasonable understanding of the condition of its homes and has plans to ensure that physical surveys of the condition of all its homes are undertaken by December 2026 and has plans in place to improve reporting and auditing.
Evidence provided demonstrated that Bassetlaw has appropriate systems in place to manage its health and safety responsibilities, including compliance and reporting of damp and mould.
Work to address underperformance in certain areas, including ‘limited reporting around managing damp and mould effectively and within required timescales’, is underway.
Through the inspection, Bassetlaw evidenced that it is delivering an effective, efficient and timely repairs service. There are good levels of tenant satisfaction, with Bassetlaw using tenant feedback to redesign the service.
Tenancy Standard – Bassetlaw demonstrated that is has clear tenancy focused strategies and policies that support fair and transparent lettings, efficient use of its housing stock, and supports residents to sustain their tenancies
Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard - Bassetlaw showed that it treats its tenants with fairness and respect, and demonstrated a strong understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants, using this information to tailor services where required.
However, further work is needed to strengthen the accessibility of this information to improve its use by the organisation and tenants.
Bassetlaw also provided assurance that it has oversight of its complaints performance, and is actively learning from the complaints it receives.
The Regulator for Social Housing’s full report can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bassetlaw-district-council
A report on the outcome of the inspection will be taken to Cabinet in September.