RSH finds serious failings at Bury Metropolitan Borough Council

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) issued Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) a C3 consumer grade after identifying serious failings in health and safety compliance, tenant engagement, and service performance transparency. Inspections revealed limited opportunities for tenants to scrutinise or influence landlord performance, alongside inadequate accessibility of service information. The council also failed to meet Tenant Satisfaction Measures requirements and could not provide sufficient assurance on health and safety data accuracy.

RSH highlighted weaknesses in Bury MBC’s repairs service, including delays in investigating and addressing hazards such as damp and mould, as well as shortcomings in handling anti-social behaviour, hate incidents, and tenant complaints. The council’s approach to meeting diverse tenant needs was also found to be inadequate. While some improvements were in progress, RSH noted that processes and systems were still being embedded and had not yet consistently improved outcomes for tenants.

Despite the failings, RSH acknowledged that Bury MBC was making progress in reducing its backlog of overdue repairs, enhancing data quality, and planning further service improvements. The council has collaborated constructively with RSH, which will continue intensive engagement to ensure required improvements are delivered.

RSH also published stability checks for 19 other landlords, including Peabody Trust, Sanctuary Housing Association, and Southern Housing. Stability checks assess financial viability, business plans, and risk profiles to determine appropriate gradings, focusing solely on financial health rather than governance.