The London Borough of Ealing faced a focused examination this month as councillors reviewed the council’s response to a C2 rating handed down by the Regulator of Social Housing. The rating, issued in November 2025, prompted the council to present a Provider Improvement Strategy and a detailed improvement plan to the Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel on 16 July 2026.
What the regulator found
The regulator’s assessment highlighted a number of areas where the council’s housing service needs to strengthen its approach. Inspectors raised concerns about the council’s knowledge of the physical condition of its homes and the robustness of assurance over safety data. They also cited issues around outstanding fire and electrical safety work, oversight of damp and mould, and whether recent improvements to the repairs service could be maintained.
"some weaknesses" and "improvement is needed"
Alongside those weaknesses, the regulator acknowledged areas of stronger performance. Inspectors found that the council was delivering an effective and timely repairs service at the time of inspection, had made notable progress on building safety compliance and was meeting standards for neighbourhoods, anti‑social behaviour and tenancy management. The report also said tenants were generally treated with respect and that there had been substantial improvements in the six months before the inspection.
How the council is responding
The improvement plan submitted to the scrutiny panel sets out actions intended to address the regulator’s findings and to move the council from a C2 towards a C1 rating. During the panel meeting councillors examined the plan’s measures and timetables for resolving safety shortfalls, improving data and record‑keeping, and strengthening resident engagement and complaints handling.
- Safety and compliance — focus on outstanding fire and electrical remedial work
- Property condition — improving surveys and records of building condition
- Resident services — better access to services, improved complaints handling and engagement with vulnerable tenants
Context and consequences for residents
Concerns about the council’s housing service are not new. The authority self‑referred to the regulator in 2022 after internal audits uncovered out‑of‑date fire risk assessments and incomplete evidence of remedial work across gas, electrical, asbestos and water safety. For tenants, the regulator’s findings will reinforce the importance of transparency on when outstanding safety works will be completed and how repairs and mould issues will be prevented.
Moving from a C2 to a C1 rating would mean the regulator is satisfied the council meets higher standards across tenants and homes, and in the way services are run. The scrutiny panel’s role is to hold the council to account for delivering the commitments in the improvement plan and to provide public oversight of progress.
| Regulator Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| C1 | Highest level — meets required standards |
| C2 | Some weaknesses identified; improvement needed |
| C3 | More significant concerns |
| C4 | Lowest level — serious failures |
For residents seeking reassurance, the key questions remain: how quickly the council will clear outstanding safety work, how improvements to the repairs service will be sustained, and whether engagement with tenants — particularly those with vulnerabilities — will be meaningfully improved. The scrutiny panel provides a public forum where councillors can seek direct answers and press for measurable milestones.
The council has characterised recent months as a period of progress, but inspectors’ findings demonstrate there is further work to do. The coming months will show whether the improvement plan translates into faster, measurable change at street and estate level across Ealing.
