League tables for social housing providers now ‘unlikely’

A consultation on the Social Housing Green Paper closed in early November, with the government yet to issue its response.

Social landlords and sector bodies immediately pushed back against the threat of league tables, warning they could prove “counter-productive” and encourage the wrong priorities.

In consultation responses, the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Local Government Association all attacked the idea and said they could worsen stigma.

Simon Dow, chair of the Regulator of Social Housing, had previously argued that league table critics would need to come up with a “compelling case for what to do instead”.

Jonathan Walters, deputy director of strategy and performance at the Regulator of Social Housing, told Inside Housing: “While many tenants seem concerned that league tables could actually increase the danger of stigma, there does seem to be widespread interest in how KPIs could help tenants hold their landlord to account.

“The final decision will clearly be one for government, but I suspect KPIs may be part of future consumer regulation and I am less sure about league tables.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Providing high-quality and well-managed social housing is a core priority for the government.

“We received a large number of responses to the consultation, which we are currently analysing. We expect to publish a response in due course.”

Paul Hackett, chair of the G15 group of London housing associations and chief executive of Optivo, said: “My experience from conversations I have had with tenants is that league tables are not what they are asking for.

“What they want is leadership from housing associations to take the tenant voice seriously with a culture at board and executive team level which reflects that.

“Residents will be much more inclined to get properly engaged with us as their landlords if they feel their views can make a difference.”

Jenny Osbourne, chief executive of tenant engagement body Tpas, said: “Tenants have consistently raised their concern to us about league tables and the impact these will have on the wider issue of stigma.

“What help will it be for tenants whose landlords are amongst the worse performers when in reality there remains so little choice about moving landlord? It could serve to only make a poor situation feel even worse. “Whilst league tables could be a help to make performance more visible across the sector, for most tenants what they are concerned with is the service and treatment they and their neighbours personally receive from their landlord.

“They want that to just simply get better and fast, not what position their landlord is in a table.”