Housing annual report 2024/25

Foreword by Cllr John Woolf, Executive Member for Homes and Communities

This year’s Housing Annual Report reflects a service that is evolving, improving, and working side by side with residents to deliver the safe, secure and high-quality homes everyone in Islington deserves. Throughout 2024/25, we have focused on strengthening core services, tackling long-standing challenges, and responding directly to the issues you told us matter most: repairs, anti-social behaviour, and complaints.

Your voice has guided our work at every stage. Through surveys, resident forums, mystery shopping, focus groups and the Resident Involvement Register, more of you than ever have helped shape how we deliver our services. Our Resident Service Improvement Group has continued to be a crucial partner, reviewing fire safety, repairs, parking, and how we manage communal areas. Their insight has helped us refine our policies and improve communication, ensuring resident experience drives real, practical change.

We are equally proud of the progress made across our estates. This year we have upgraded play spaces, improved recycling areas, added new cycle storage, carried out accessibility and safety works, and invested in our community centres. These projects have been shaped by your suggestions and aim to create neighbourhoods that are welcoming, safe and connected.

Alongside this, we remain committed to addressing the housing crisis. We have delivered new council homes, brought hundreds of former council properties back into public ownership through the country’s largest buy-back scheme, and taken strong action against housing fraud. Our ongoing £200 million investment programme is improving energy efficiency, tackling damp and mould, upgrading fire safety, and ensuring all homes meet modern standards.
We also recognise the challenges many residents face due to the cost-of-living crisis. Our Energy Advice Team and welfare visits are there to support you, providing guidance to help reduce bills and identify any additional needs.

Looking ahead, our ambition remains clear: to be a great landlord, build more genuinely affordable homes, maintain our existing homes to the highest standards, and ensure your views continue to lead the way. Thank you to everyone who has shared their feedback this year—we look forward to working with you to keep improving our services.