This Update includes the following

  • Consultation Outcome- Competence and Conduct Standard

  • Who’s Who’ at MHCLG

  • Events

  • Recent Government Announcements

  • Other Publications

spondon riverside 9187

Consultation outcome: Competence and Conduct Standard

On 30th September 2025 the government published a Direction to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) alongside the outcome of last year’s consultation on the a Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing.

The new Competence and Conduct Standard is one element of a series of wider reforms to improve the quality of housing management services in the social rented sector. It will require providers of social housing to ensure all staff have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours to deliver safe, high-quality, respectful services.

All providers will be required to have a code of conduct for staff in place which sets out expectations of professional behaviour, ethics and respect for tenants. In addition, a written workforce policy covering learning and development, performance appraisal and managing poor performance will be required alongside an expectation that tenants will be involved in shaping and reviewing both the code and wider workforce policies.

The competence and conduct standard introduces a professional qualification requirement for senior housing managers and senior housing executives who must have or be working towards an approved housing management qualification. This requirement will apply to all senior posts where responsibility for managing the delivery of housing management services is a ‘substantive’ part of the post (generally defined as requiring more than 50% of the postholder’s time).

The implementation timetable has been extended in response to consultation feedback, and the new standard will now come into force from October 2026 with an extended transition period (3 years for larger providers and 4 years for those with less than 1000 properties).

Providers also have more flexibility in managing the implementation as mid-point enrolment requirements have been removed. The consultation response also provides further clarity around requirements for top-up modules where staff hold existing qualifications and exemptions for service providers delivering single or narrow functions. The government has also published a Policy Statement providing detailed additional guidance on the qualification requirements within the new standard.

man studying with notebook and laptop

Following last month’s cabinet reshuffle – a recap on ‘Who’s Who’ at MHCLG:

Steve Reed MP: Secretary of State
Moving from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed MP has been quick to reinforce the government’s housebuilding ambitions pledging to ‘build baby build’ and “do whatever it takes to get Britain building”. He used the Labour Party Conference to announce that work on three new towns in Bedfordshire, Leeds and North London will begin before the next general election.

The new Secretary of State has a strong background in local government as a former leader of Lambeth Council and deputy chairman of the Local Government Association.

Alison McGovern MP: Minister of State (Local Government and Homelessness)
Moving from the Department of Work and Pensions to a newly configured ministerial brief that combines local government finance with homelessness and rough sleeping: supported housing and domestic abuse: resettlement and local government reorganisation.

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
(Minister for Devolution, Faith, and Communities):
Miatta Fahnbulleh MP is part of the 2024 Parliamentary intake, she is moving from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Her background is in policy and research including as Head of Cities in the policy unit at the Cabinet Office. As Minister for Devolution, Faith, and Communities her role includes English Devolution, Mayoral Combined Authorities and pan-regional bodies, local and regional investment, and growth as well as communities and social cohesion.

Samantha Dixon MBE MP: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
(Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy)
Previously a Government Whip, Samantha Dixon MP has moved to MHCLG with a brief that combines building safety regulations, fire policy, and operations, overseeing the Grenfell Enquiry, Building Safety Regulator, and remediation programmes. Also within her remit are elections policy, net zero and energy efficiency policy, resilience, recovery, and emergencies.

Parliment London with Union Jack Flag

Matthew Pennycook MP: Minister of State (Minister for Housing and Planning)
Offering an element of stability, Matthew Pennycook MP emerged unscathed from the reshuffle and remains in his existing role role as housing minister, focusing on housing delivery, social housing quality and planning reform.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
(Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government)
Appointed in July 2024 and also surviving the reshuffle, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage is the government spokesperson on housing, planning and local government in the House of Lords.

Events

Research Findings – No Access / Preparations for Awaab’s Law – 19th November (10.00 – 11.30) – Teams

The NFA is hosting a webinar on 19 November (10-11.30) to share the findings from the HQN-authored research into No Access and preparations for Awaab’s Law in the local authority sector. This research has been jointly commissioned by the NFA, CWAG, CIH, LGA and ARCH and covers the whole local authority housing sector. Please save the date – further information and how to book places will be circulated shortly.

ADoH Bitesize Webinars

The newly formed Association of Directors’ of Housing Group is hosting a series of one hour webinars on a range of topics. ADoH has confirmed that CWAG members are welcome to attend the webinars listed below. Follow the links to register. Please note you will need to register using your council email address.

  • 13 November 2025: Supporting Local Authority Readiness for Renters’ Rights Reforms. Alison Farrar from the  government funded Jigsaw team will tell delegates about the team, how they plan to help local authorities prepare for Renters’ Rights implementation and provide an update on upcoming training events and ongoing support for authorities.
  • 9 December 2025: State of the nation: HRA finance and business planning. Join Steve Partridge from Savills as he explores the current landscape for council landlords navigating the complexities of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) finance and long-term business planning. This bite-size session will unpack the key challenges and opportunities facing local authorities as they update their HRA business plans.

Recent Government Announcements

MHCLG

Homelessness Funding Announcement
On 9th October the government announced that an additional £84million will be available this winter to help prevent homelessness with a particular focus on on providing help for families with children and those in temporary accommodation.  £84 million injection to tackle homelessness

Awaab’s Law and Electrical Safety Regulations
The regulations for both Awaab’s Law and Electrical Safety have now passed both houses of Parliament and been through the required sign off process. The regulations will therefore come into force as planned on the specified dates.

New Towns Taskforce Report
On  28th September MHCLG published the New Towns Taskforce: Report to government  which includes recommendations for 12 potential new town locations. The government also announced plans to fast track three named new towns before the end of this Parliament.

Housing Ombudsman

Awaab’s Law Casework
The Housing Ombudsman now has a dedicated page on its website sharing latest casework and learning on complaints about housing hazards related to Awaab’s Law. View webpage

Learning from Severe Maladministration Report – September 2025
The Housing Ombudsman has published its latest report in the learning from severe maladministration series. This report features seven landlords and focuses on complaints about subsidence, adaptations, and rent accounts.  These complaints are often overlooked but can have significant impacts on residents’ lives. The report emphasizes the need for landlords to have effective policies and procedures in place to manage these issues. It also stresses the need for clear communication and regular updates to residents to prevent misunderstandings and ensure satisfaction. Download Report

Special Investigation Report Lewisham Council October 2025
The report focuses on the handling of complaints, repairs and serious hazards. Download Report

Regulator of Social Housing

Regulatory Casework Review 2025
In September the RSH published its latest Regulatory Casework Review which examines key themes from regulatory activities over the past year covering governance, financial viability and consumer standards. Areas highlighted this year tenant safety, maintenance of accurate and comprehensive data on both homes and tenants to inform decision making, ensuring effective tenant engagement is incorporated into decision making. Download Report

Latest Regulatory Judgements
Inspection outcomes have been published for 4 councils, Eastbourne Borough Council (C2), Cambridge City Council (C2), Lewes District Council (C2), Canterbury City Council (C3).

Other Publications

There have been a significant number of recent reports analysing the prospects for achieving the governments objective of building 1.5 million new homes within this Parliament including: