One in five council homes in Cannock Chase fails national standard

Almost one in five council properties in Cannock Chase did not meet the national Decent Homes Standard earlier this year, a report has revealed.

Cannock Chase District Council’s new cabinet member for housing – who has lived in a council property for 10 years – told colleagues she was shocked to read the 2025-26 Housing Services Annual Report to Tenants, which was considered at the latest cabinet meeting on Thursday (October 22).

The Decent Homes Standard sets minimum requirements for social rented homes across the country. These include the property being in a reasonable state of repair, reasonable modern facilities and services, effective insulation and efficient heating.

During 2025/26 Cannock Chase District Council rented out 4,982 properties, including 94 independent living. But the proportion of homes that did not meet the Decent Homes Standard by the end of March 2026 was 19.91%.

The report presented to Thursday’s cabinet meeting said: “This year we initiated a number of changes, including our improved administration of stock condition information which has strengthened the accuracy and reliability of our reporting. As a result of our stock condition surveys in 2025/26, we now have a better picture of our homes and how they measure up to the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.

“We found that more homes than expected will need work to meet the standard. This mainly involves replacements to windows and doors in affected homes. Where we found any hazards that would affect people’s health and safety we dealt with them straight away and we are now putting plans together to address the other issues we have found.

“We have also reported our findings to the Regulator of Social Housing, and we have started working with them to make sure we put the right investment plans in place to meet the Decent Homes standard. In addition, procurement for external envelope works is planned this year to reduce the number of non-decent dwellings and help mitigate the issue next year.”

Councillor Melissa Cecil has recently taken on the Housing and Corporate Assets Portfolio from fellow Reform UK member Rhys Mandry, She is also Vice-Chair of the Housing Board.

Speaking at Thursday’s cabinet meeting, where members were asked to approve the report for publication, Councillor Cecil called for a number of amendments before it is circulated to tenants and published on the council’s website. She said: “I have been on this portfolio less than a month and I’m a council tenant, I’ve lived in a council property for 10 years.

“Reading this report has shocked me. The number of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard is not simply figures on a screen – I know the struggles people face and I know how difficult it is relying on the council to do repairs.

“I hope we do not simply identify problems, but have a plan to solve them. It’s not just about meeting standards, it’s about making the service better for tenants.”

Fellow cabinet member Councillor Georgina Jeffery said the issues identified in the report were not something “that has happened overnight”.

The council’s deputy leader Richard Craddock called for a priority list to ensure the most affected residents are “dealt with sooner rather than later.”

He added: “I accept how difficult this is as a report for us to deliver. It’s quite alarming to read – you wouldn’t expect a private housing provider to do this.

“To be in a position where one in five of our tenants is living like this is terrible.”