Salford Council has been told ‘improvement is needed’ in the way it manages its social housing, particularly in tackling hate incidents and transparency. 

The government’s new Regulator for Social Housing issued its first grading of Salford’s housing stock, which is managed by social landlord Pendleton Together. The government body gave the council a ‘C2’ grade – meaning there are ‘some weaknesses’ and they ‘expect improvements’. 

The report, published earlier this week, found the local authority could do more to make sure tenants facing discriminatory abuse in their neighbourhood can raise the issue with their landlords. 

An assessor wrote: “Whilst we have some assurance that Salford CC works effectively with its partners to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour, we have identified some weaknesses around the reporting of hate incidents. We saw limited information for tenants on Pendleton Togethers’ website about how they can report hate incidents.” 

Pendleton Together has since updated its website to make reporting easier. 

But the regulator also praised the local authority for ‘delivering an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service with a proactive approach to resolving damp and mould problems’. It also noted the local authority’s ‘efficient use of housing stock’. 

Though assessors found the council ‘ensures that complaints are addressed fairly, effectively, and promptly’, they still found there was room for improvement in this area. 

Responding to the report, Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said the report showed that ‘progress is being made’. 

“We are committed to working closely with the Regulator to take the required action which will strengthen transparency, tenant engagement and safety reporting, with early progress visible,” he said. 

Councillor Tracy Kelly, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Housing and Anti-Poverty at Salford City Council added: “We’re focused on driving up housing standards in the city and this report highlights we are on the right path.

“There is work to do, but residents can be assured that as a council, we are continuing to prioritise improvements and increasing the supply of decent and genuinely affordable housing here in Salford.”

The report comes as Dérive, a social housing construction firm created and owned by the council, appears to be facing difficulties. The local authority is currently investigating its own firm to determine whether financial mismanagement or misconduct has taken place. 

Council officers reportedly spotted irregularities in the accounts after requesting information from the firm, which has handled more than £10m of public money since it was formed in 2017. 

Multiple senior figures have resigned from leadership roles at Dérive since February, and the company is a month overdue in submitting its annual accounts.