The latest Quarterly Performance and Business Planning Report revealed that the council’s performance across a wide range of services had been “broadly positive and … reflective of strong work being undertaken across the Council”, in the last three months of 2024.
The report identified key improvements in housing where, at the end of Quarter 3 (Q3), the council had:
- Exceeded its annual target of helping 650 households to move on from temporary accommodation.
- Seen the proportion of homes failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard fall to 10.5% – less than half the figure reported at the same time last year.
- Continued to reduce the year-to-date average for the time taken to remove and treat mould.
Word from the Cabinet
Speaking at a recent meeting of the council’s Cabinet, Councillor Danny Adilypour Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Investment and New Homes, welcomed the council’s progress evidenced by the data:
“It’s encouraging to see that at the end of Q3 we’d exceeded our target of enabling 650 households to move on from temporary accommodation. We now have a newly recruited, dedicated Temporary Accommodation Move-On team in place to ensure that we can build on this work even further over the new financial year.”
Lambeth is on course to help more than 900 households to move on from temporary accommodation by the end of the current financial year, marking a major step in alleviating housing pressures in the borough.
Lambeth is also continuing to support its most vulnerable residents, with the number of rough sleepers assisted into suitable accommodation rising to 55 during Q3.
“As set out in our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, we need to support the diverse needs of our rough sleepers, and getting them into safe, suitable housing remains a priority,” said Cllr Adilypour.
The council’s commitment to improving housing standards has also yielded results. The proportion of council homes failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard – a quality standard set by the government, that social-rented homes must meet – has fallen sharply to 10.5% in Q3 – less than half the level of the same time last year. Upgrades at estates such as Cressingham Gardens, where communal lighting and drainage systems were improved, emphasise Lambeth’s ongoing focus on delivering essential housing repairs and modernisation.
Tackling damp and mould, a persistent concern for residents, is another area showing improvement. The average time to treat and remove damp and mould has improved by 20% on the previous quarter.
“While it’s clear we still have more to do, it’s important to note that we’re seeing good progress and moving in the right direction,” Cllr Adilypour said. “This progress has been recognised by both the Housing Ombudsman and the Social Housing Regulator.”
Despite the positive momentum, Cllr Adilypour stressed that the council is not complacent:
“I fully recognise there’s a lot more to be done, and I want to reassure residents that we know the journey isn’t complete. We’re going to keep that improvement going forward.”
