Decision

Melton Borough Council (31UG) - Regulatory Judgement: 9 September 2026

Updated 9 September 2026

Applies to England

Our Judgement

	Grade/Judgement	Change	Date of assessment
Consumer	C1 Our judgement is that overall the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. The landlord has demonstrated that it identifies when issues occur and puts plans in place to remedy and minimise recurrence.	Upgrade	September 2026

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Melton Borough Council (Melton BC) after a period of responsive engagement following its first inspection completed in August 2024.

This regulatory judgement upgrades our previous published assessment of Melton BC’s consumer grade from C2 to C1.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, Melton BC’s most recent consumer grade was C2, which was issued in August 2024 following a planned regulatory inspection.

Summary of the decision

From the evidence and assurance gained during the responsive engagement we have concluded that overall, Melton BC is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for Melton BC.

How we reached our judgement

Following a planned regulatory inspection in August 2024 we published a regulatory judgement for Melton BC. Based on the evidence and assurance gained during the inspection, it was our judgement that there were some weaknesses in Melton BC’s delivery of the consumer standards and that improvements were needed, specifically in relation to the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Based on this assessment, we concluded a C2 grade for Melton BC.

This was the first time we had issued a consumer grade in relation to this landlord.

Following the inspection, we engaged with Melton BC as it carried out improvements to address the weaknesses which led to the C2 grade. During our engagement we have seen improvements in how Melton BC is delivering the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. We have concluded an upgrade to C1 based on this assurance.

As part of our assessment, we observed Melton BC’s Landlord Assurance Board and meetings of Your Choice, Your Voice, Melton BC’s residents’ panel.

Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection in August 2024 and subsequent responsive engagement process. We also considered information supplied by the landlord in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.  

Summary of findings  

Consumer – C1 – September 2026

Following the publication of our regulatory judgement in August 2024, we engaged with Melton BC on the delivery of its improvement strategy. Through this engagement we sought to understand how it was addressing the main issues identified during the inspection. This included weaknesses around tenant engagement, performance reporting, and complaints management.

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to provide accessible information so that tenants can use landlord services, understand what to expect from their landlord and hold their landlord to account. It also requires landlords to take tenants’ views into account when making decisions about the delivery of landlord services.

At the time of inspection, we saw that tenant engagement was officer-led and the formal tenants panel did not have a remit for the scrutiny of services. Wider opportunities for tenants to provide meaningful feedback were limited to consultations with a narrow scope.  Through our subsequent engagement, we have assurance that Melton BC has established structured, tenant-led engagement arrangements which are linked to governance and decision making. These include the Landlord Assurance Board which provides formal governance oversight, with tenants participating alongside members and officers. The Your Voice, Your Choice group is a core tenant forum with tenants setting agendas, chairing meetings, and reviewing performance.

At the time of inspection, the council lacked sufficient tenant data to understand its tenants and tailor its services appropriately. Since the inspection, Melton BC has taken steps to address these gaps through a Tenant Data Project and delivery of a full tenant census using a multi-channel approach. Tenant data collection is now structured, actively managed and subject to regular senior oversight. The council has established clear mechanisms to monitor completeness, track progress and identify gaps, with evidence of improvements across all data fields. Tenant data is being used to inform service design and delivery, with a focus on targeting activity and responding to identified needs.

With regards to performance information, Melton BC needed to improve how it reported performance to tenants. The council now publishes regular performance information in accessible formats, including infographic reporting on its website, along with TSM results and compliance audit outcomes. Performance data is also shared through governance structures and engagement forums.

At the time of inspection, weaknesses were identified in the council’s complaint handling systems and oversight. Melton BC has taken steps to strengthen its approach, introducing improved monitoring arrangements, increasing staff capacity, and enhancing oversight through regular reporting. We have assurance that learning from complaints is now embedded, with lessons identified, reported and used to inform service improvements. Melton BC has also sought opportunities to involve tenants in learning, including tenant scrutiny of Melton BC’s published complaints information.

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, our inspection in 2024 obtained evidence that Melton BC works in partnership with the police and other relevant organisations to seek to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides social housing. However, we identified that some improvements were needed in its approach to case management arrangements to facilitate improved reporting and enhance Melton BC’s ability to identify trends and scrutinise outcomes for tenants. We have seen evidence that Melton BC has implemented a new multi-agency case management system, providing improved oversight, consistency and visibility across teams and partners, and is beginning to develop analysis of trends and hotspots, supported by new system data and transactional surveys.

Through our inspection in August 2024, we gained evidence-based assurance across the consumer standards as set out below.

With regards to the Safety and Quality Standard, Melton BC has an accurate and up to date understanding of the condition of its homes, based upon a comprehensive programme of physical surveys. It reported that 95% of its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard and has costed plans in place to achieve 100% by 2028. We have also received assurance that the council continue to deliver an effective, efficient and timely repairs service.

We have assurance that overall, Melton BC is meeting its landlord health and safety obligations. Outcomes across all key areas of health and safety compliance are good and performance is actively monitored by senior officers and councillors.

In relation to the Tenancy Standard, we saw evidence that Melton BC’s Housing allocation policy offers tenancies or terms of occupation that are compatible with the purpose of its accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community, and the efficient use of its housing stock. Melton BC operates a choice based letting system and the inspection provided assurance about the work Melton BC does to support tenants to sustain their tenancies.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

Melton BC owns around 1,780 social housing homes.

Our role and regulatory approach

We regulate for a viable, efficient, and well governed social housing sector able to deliver quality homes and services for current and future tenants.  

We regulate at the landlord level to drive improvement in how landlords operate. By landlord we mean a registered provider of social housing. These can either be local authorities, or private registered providers (other organisations registered with us such as non-profit housing associations, co-operatives, or profit-making organisations). 

We set standards which state outcomes that landlords must deliver. The outcomes of our standards include both the required outcomes and specific expectations we set. Where we find there are significant failures in landlords which we consider to be material to the landlord’s delivery of those outcomes, we hold them to account. Ultimately this provides protection for tenants’ homes and services and achieves better outcomes for current and future tenants. It also contributes to a sustainable sector which can attract strong investment. 

We have a different role for regulating local authorities than for other landlords. This is because we have a narrower role for local authorities and the Governance and Financial Viability Standard, and Value for Money Standard do not apply. Further detail on which standards apply to different landlords can be found on our standards page. 

We assess the performance of landlords through inspections and by reviewing data that landlords are required to submit to us. We also respond where there is an issue or a potential issue that may be material to a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards. We publish regulatory judgements that describe our view of landlords’ performance with our standards. We also publish grades for landlords with more than 1,000 social housing homes. 

The Housing Ombudsman deals with individual complaints. When individual complaints are referred to us, we investigate if we consider that the issue may be material to a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards.  

For more information about our approach to regulation, please see Regulating the standards.

Further information

• Regulating the standards
• Regulatory standards for landlords

Related documents

• Decent Homes Standard