I wanted to start with some news from the Regulator of Social Housing who recently completed its routine inspection of the Karbon Homes Group. We’re pleased to have once again achieved the highest possible ratings for viability (V1) and governance (G1). We’ve also met the consumer standards, with a rating of C2, which is how well we meet the needs and protect the rights of our customers, particularly in areas such as safety, repairs and customer involvement.

The regulator recognised key strengths for us in this area, like keeping homes and communal areas safe and maintaining accurate records and, crucially, treating customers with fairness and respect. We know there are areas we need to keep working on particularly around the timeliness of repairs. To help to address this, we’ve already recruited more trade colleagues and sub-contractors. I look forward to updating you on the progress we make in this field.  

In other news, we’ve just unveiled our plans for 211 supported housing homes at Seaham Garden Village. The homes are designed to help people with differing levels of care and support needs to live well and independently. If approved, they will make up part of our development of 750 affordable homes at the new garden village.

In this edition you can also read about how we supported customer Emily into her dream job in the skies, our work to restore Byker’s historic hobby rooms and the progress we’ve made in tackling damp and mould.