News

• Sutton Council’s housing services managed by its arms length management organisation (ALMO), Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP), have been awarded the highest possible rating of C1 for social housing, following an inspection by the Government's Regulator.

• Sutton is one of only a small number of local authorities in England  to have been awarded the highest rating, demonstrating the Council is delivering on its commitment to provide safe, high-quality homes. 

The Regulator of Social Housing conducts comprehensive inspections of social landlords managing over 1,000 homes to assess their compliance against new consumer standards around things such as safety and quality, transparency, accountability, neighbourhood and community.  

Today, (Wednesday 29 October 2025) the Regulator announced that Sutton has been awarded the highest rating. During its assessment, the Regulator engaged extensively with the Council and SHP, who are responsible for managing the Council’s homes. 

The Regulator commended the Council and SHP on several areas, particularly highlighting the work undertaken to keep tenants safe and the proactive approach to tackling damp and mould. They also commented on the many opportunities available for tenants to provide feedback, ranging from reviewing documents as part of resident groups, to serving as Board members.

In its judgement, the Regulator highlighted that:

• The approach to tenant engagement is varied and accessible, gathering tenants’ views through a range of formal and informal methods, demonstrating a broad commitment to seeking feedback.

• Evidence showed that feedback and scrutiny provided by tenants has directly and positively impacted service delivery, with specific improvements noted in responsive repairs. This underscores the effective translation of the tenant voice into tangible change.

• The Resident Review Group is able to effectively influence policies and service improvements, highlighting a culture where formal tenant scrutiny bodies possess genuine power to drive organisational change.

Commenting on the grading, Councillor Jake Short, Lead Member for Housing said: "This outcome shows that we are delivering on our promise to provide safe, high-quality homes alongside excellent services for our residents. With over 500 council homes set to be built in the next five years, we are doing all we can to improve access to good, quality, affordable social housing that we know our residents need.  

“This inspection has also highlighted the value of listening to our residents, and we are committed to using their invaluable feedback to continuously learn, improve, and shape even better services for the future. I would like to congratulate everyone at the Council and Sutton Housing Partnership on this fantastic achievement. "

Steve Tucker, Managing Director of Sutton Housing Partnership said: "Achieving the C1 rating is highly encouraging, confirming the Regulator's finding that we are meeting the consumer standards. It's a  validation of the hard work and dedication of our staff, particularly in delivering safer homes and faster repairs. In a time that remains tough for the social housing sector, we will use this outcome to celebrate our strengths and focus on where we must continue to improve. 

“We remain absolutely committed to listening to our residents, actioning their feedback, and continuously shaping an even better service for our community."

The judgement in full can be read on the Regulator of Social Housing website . For more information on Sutton Housing Partnership, visit www.suttonhousingpartnership.org.uk