By Alistair McIntosh, chief executive, HQN

Stick to the plan. That’s the big message in the RSH inspection reports from last week.

EMH got C2 in November 2024. Now the RSH has moved them up to C1 via “responsive engagement”. EMH had a plan they shared with the RSH and they delivered it. The association got better at listening to tenants in the board room, dealing with calls and handling complaints. That’s how they rose to C1. Well done.

Back in 2024 the RSH found weaknesses against the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Hence the C2 result. EMH was certainly engaging with tenants – but they needed to improve how tenants’ views were feeding in at group board level.

Andrew Murtha, the chair of the Resident Influence Committee, went on to the group board. Here’s what he has to say:

“For me, C1 is the result of a journey that has transformed the way EMH works with its residents. Over recent years we have strengthened the role of the Resident Influence Committee, improved how resident feedback is evidenced and acted upon, and developed a culture where challenge, collaboration and co-production are valued. This recognition matters because it reflects the progress made in embedding resident influence throughout the organisation.”

You can see the impact of these changes at EMH in their satisfaction rates. Overall satisfaction is up 5% while the score for complaint handling is up 9%.

The RSH also published the rating for Lancaster City Council last week. It was their first inspection and came with a C2 score. This was in line with the city council’s expectations.

The RSH praised the council’s “respectful and positive culture towards tenants”. As always the RSH met with “engaged tenants” who told the inspectors that they “felt listened to and valued.” The city council holds good quality survey data on 90% of its homes and should get to 100% by the end of the year. Health and safety was working well too.

So there is a lot to like here.

The RSH is very clear about what Lancaster must do to climb up to C1. Again it’s a case of sticking to the plan. That means:

– finishing the survey by the deadline

– clearing the repairs backlog (by November – inroads already made)

– continuing to gather and use data on the diverse needs of residents (tenant census underway)

– “embedding” changes to engagement “to deliver independent challenge to influence decision making”

– speeding up complaints handling.

Full disclosure. HQN has worked with Lancaster and we hold the people there in the highest regard. That C1 is coming.

Lancaster City Council’s Tenants’ Voice welcomed the RSH report: “We feel it reflects the hard work the housing team have put in in recent years, particularly around good governance. We look forward to supporting continuous improvement through partnership working, especially for those tenants with diverse needs.

“It is encouraging to see the regulator highlight the housing service’s respectful and positive culture towards tenants as well, as this is something we see every day.”

Top tip: Make sure that your plan is SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

EMH and Lancaster City Council are doing things the right way. But we do see plans that promise the moon and/or are just too vague. That won’t work. The RSH approach to “responsive engagement” gives you a big opportunity to move on up. Carpe diem. Sort out that SMART plan.