In 2025/26 we continued working with our residents and partners on our Love your Neighbourhood campaign – creating cleaner, safer and greener communities that we can all be proud of. We also increased our presence in our communities to provide enhanced support for those who need it. 

Encouraging biodiversity

We once again joined the national ‘No Mow May’ initiative, leaving certain green areas to grow freely to support pollinators and enhance biodiversity – we introduced three new areas in 2025/26. To support wider environmental improvements, we also completed a full survey of all of the trees we own in public spaces, allowing us to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe and begin essential tree works to maintain and protect our natural environment.

We surveyed 6,000 trees which resulted in 264 trees needing work.

We held a gardening competition in June 2025 to help brighten up our neighbourhoods, inviting residents to showcase their front gardens, communal spaces and floral displays. The initiative brought neighbours together, encouraged greener outdoor spaces and celebrated the creativity of our communities. To recognise participants’ efforts, the top entries in each category received gardening vouchers – donated by our contractor Accuro – to support their continued work in making our neighbourhoods more vibrant and eco‑friendly. 

Investigating tenancy fraud

As well as delivering wide-ranging support to our customers, our Housing team had a renewed focus on tackling tenancy fraud – especially in cases where tenants are living elsewhere and unlawfully subletting their homes.

This year saw a significant increase in the number of cases coming through each month, driven largely by a key amnesty campaign in November 2025. Working with Hertfordshire County Council through their Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS), residents could return the keys to their home without fear of prosecution, allowing us to recover homes for people who genuinely need them. 

Delivering more 

We’re committed to making sure our areas are looked after to the standards our residents expect. The number of homes we own and manage has increased, as well as the geographical area they’re located in, and we’ve increased the number of Housing Officers we have so we can deliver a better, more personalised service. 

We also hired two apprentices, supporting the next generation of Housing Officers, and our Estates team added four additional Estates Officers, allowing us to provide more consistent support across the increased number of areas we manage, with some now responsible for specific areas. 

In line with the government's plan to professionalise the housing sector, 10 members of staff passed their Chartered Institute of Housing qualification in 2025/26, and 6 more are currently working towards achieving it. 

The Housing team regularly go through Housing Ombudsman cases to support ongoing learning, ensuring they are equipped to support our residents and stay up to date on best practice. As well as this, the team are working towards gaining a Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance accreditation to ensure we are offering a victim-led service and supporting residents who are affected by domestic violence. 

A new app was introduced last year to allow the team to report fly-tipping and rubbish on our estates more quickly and easily. This has significantly improved the accuracy of our records and is helping us take more effective action to tackle fly‑tipping across our neighbourhoods.