West Northamptonshire Council has reported that all its social housing now meets key safety standards for gas, fire, water, and asbestos as of March 2026. This progress comes as the local authority continues to move the management of 11,500 homes in Northampton and the surrounding area back under its direct control.
Official figures show that the number of overdue fire safety jobs has dropped from 4,500 down to just 14 cases. The council also confirmed that the number of formal complaints has fallen for five quarters in a row, with staff responding to tenants more quickly than they did in the past.
The changes are part of a plan to stop using the management company Northamptonshire Partnership Homes and bring all services in-house by April 2027. This shift follows a 2024 report from the Regulator of Social Housing which found serious failings in how the homes were being looked after.
Councillor Charlie Hastie, who looks after housing for the council, is overseeing the improvements since the current leadership took over in May 2025. While safety and service levels are reportedly getting better, tenants are still facing a planned rent increase of nearly five percent starting in April 2026.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
