Corrupt and unacceptable practices by local authorities

Over 76,000 council homes in England do not meet minimum safety standards

A council has no problem with taking severe housing enforcement action against private landlords by issuing thousands of pounds’ worth fines or even prosecuting.

It is abundantly clear that Local Authorities can't even be accountable for their own housing stock and choose to enforce so heavily on landlords as they are an easier target.

Take the likes of the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF), one the strongest councils for enforcement action.

The LBWF misled their residents for years over the fire safety of their block of flats. Another Grenfell in the making!

To date, the residents have received no apology or compensation and the only response so far from the LBWF is “As a council we are investing £250 million in our housing stock over the next six years and £40 million of that is specifically set aside for building safety. The Government is bringing in stronger measures to ensure new buildings are built safely and existing buildings are brought up to standard. We are going above and beyond these requirements to make all our council homes safe and fit for the future."

Now, if this was a private landlord you can be assured that action from the council would be severe. In fact, they would probably receive a financial penalty of up to £30,000 per offence committed.

It is time for councils across the country to start becoming more accountable and looking at their own stock.

Naming and shaming a few other councils

• London Borough of Hackney: 38% of their stock does not meet safety standards

• Portsmouth City Council: 38% of their stock does not meet safety standards

• Lewisham Council: 43% of their stock does not meet safety standards

Data from some councils is missing (conveniently!), which is no doubt contributing to the underestimate of the problem faced at present.

Housing Enforcement Officers have a legal duty under the Housing Act 2004 and to date those officers have failed to protect their own tenants.

The figure from March marked a third consecutive yearly rise, up from 71,259 in 2019 and 70,324 in 2018.