Being the councillor with responsibility for council housing is an amazing job in so many ways, but it is also an incredibly tough and challenging one.

I love getting out and about, visiting families in their homes and meeting residents and staff. They remind me how important safe, warm, clean and comfortable homes and shared spaces are – and how they provide a foundation for happy, healthy lives and communities.

Of course, I also get to see what happens when homes are not managed correctly.

It was painful to admit, as we did last year, that we were falling short of the standards our residents deserve.

We agreed on a plan of action to get ourselves back on track – to improve the quality of our homes and services. As part of that process, we have submitted our service to regular scrutiny by the Housing Regulator and Housing Ombudsman – the two central government bodies that monitor council landlords.

Ham & High: Cllr Sarah Williams says Haringey Council has a plan of action to improve quality of homes and servicesCllr Sarah Williams says Haringey Council has a plan of action to improve quality of homes and services (Image: Haringey Council)

Those conversations have not always been easy, but they have always been open and honest, and just this week we’ve had some positive feedback about the process so far.

Colleagues from both organisations told us that they appreciated our collaborative approach and open conversations. And though we all recognise there is a long way to go to deliver the quality of services our residents deserve, both organisations acknowledged there has been positive progress.

For example, back in July last year, the Housing Ombudsman produced a report that included some 24 recommendations for improving how we manage complaints, vulnerable tenants, unacceptable behaviour, damp and mould, data, governance - and culture.

We were told this week that we have addressed the changes they identified. This included team development – and they had noted how our staff had embraced the opportunity to learn, develop and change, and been proactive – there had been a shift away from the ‘apathy’ mentioned in the initial report. Good news.

I hope we are getting better at listening too. Our residents have provided a guiding voice throughout the last year and are embedded into our improvement plan. We have recruited a group of more than 50 people to help us co-produce the solutions to our challenges and we cannot make things right without their input.

So, while I know we still have plenty more to do – that many residents are not living in ideal conditions and need repairs to be done – change is gradually happening, and we are continuing to strive to tackle the challenges we face.

We are a listening council – and have the passion and drive to do things better, with residents central to everything we do.

  • Cllr Sarah Williams is Haringey Council cabinet member for Housing Services, Private Renters & Planning.