A closer working relationship with registered social landlords is on the cards following a successful meeting with the leader of Worcester City Council.

Leaders from six housing associations, who collectively provide over 7,000 homes in the city, met with councillor Lynn Denham and deputy leader, councillor Jabba Riaz.

Ms Denham said: "Social landlords provide housing to a very large number of Worcester residents and it’s clear that there is much to be gained from a closer working relationship between them and the City Council.

"This is the start of a new era of co-operation, with shared actions and interests."

The get-together was motivated by a motion passed by the council in March, advocating for more collaboration with housing providers.

Participants from Rooftop, Platform, and Citizen attended the gathering in person at the Guildhall, while Stonewater, Bromford, and Sanctuary joined remotely.

Addressing the highlights of the meeting, Ms Denham explained: "I was particularly pleased to hear about the levels of support that the social landlords provide to their tenants to help them with challenges like managing their budgets and making benefit claims.

"As councillors, it would be useful to know more about this area of their work, so we hope to put in place an information-sharing agreement".

Key issues discussed involved the landlords' endeavours to enhance the quality of their properties, increase energy-efficiency, and construct more housing.

Furthermore, the potential collaboration with the City Council to hire more local individuals for jobs at housing associations was considered.

Ms Denham revealed partnering against fly-tipping as one of the shared concerns.

She said: "Fly-tipping is a challenge for both the City Council and the social landlords, so that is an area where we are planning to share information and work together to tackle the areas where the biggest problems are."

Confirming the positive outcomes of the meeting, she recapped, "This was a very positive first meeting and more will follow, focused on specific issues.

"By regularly sharing information and learning, the City Council and our city’s registered social landlords can work together for the good of the people of Worcester."