Regulator of Social Housing accuses district council of “serious failings” amid fire assessment concerns

The council has been given a C3 grade, which means there are serious failings, and told it needs to make significant improvements.

RSH investigated Harlow after reviewing its Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) results.

The Regulator concluded that:

• the council had carried out fire risk assessments for only 20% of buildings that it should have done, out of its 9,100 social housing homes; and
• there were more than 500 high risk fire safety remedial actions overdue, and a further 1,500 medium risk actions overdue (the majority of which were more than 12 months overdue).

RSH said Harlow would remain under close scrutiny, adding that the council must demonstrate that it is reducing risks to tenants as it seeks to put these issues right.

The local authority has employed an external consultant to help it develop a detailed improvement plan as a priority. The RSH said it would be engaging with the landlord as it addresses these failings.

Harlow is working to complete the outstanding fire risk assessments and resulting actions, starting with the highest risk blocks.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “It is unacceptable that Harlow Council has failed to meet fire safety requirements. Providing safe, decent homes for tenants begins with robust data, and this must include fire risk assessments for every home that needs one.

“We identified these failings by scrutinising the council’s TSM results. It is the landlord’s responsibility to notify us themselves of material issues.

“Our new proactive approach and expanded consumer remit is helping to bring issues to the surface earlier. We expect all providers to regularly review and evaluate their services to improve outcomes for tenants.”

The regulatory judgement for Harlow was one of ten published today (25 September).

In response to the assessment, Cllr Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, said: “This was the first time councils across the country had to report to the Regulator on a huge variety of tenant satisfaction measures. Unfortunately, we have seen very large number of councils falling short on some of those measures and being graded with a C3 rating.

“On nearly every tenant satisfaction measure Harlow performed well, although we are taking clear steps to drive improvement across the board. However, on one measure – the number of fire risk assessments that had been carried out in our flat blocks – we performed very badly. As a result of this shortcoming, the Regulator has awarded Harlow, like many other councils, a C3 grading. This does not mean Harlow’s flat blocks are unsafe, there is no ACM (Grenfell style-cladding) or anything of the like and tenants should be reassured of that.”

Cllr Swords admitted that what he claimed was an historic issue had not been dealt with well or quickly enough by the council.

“For several years, we have not carried out enough fire risk assessments and that is why this moment will be a very clear turning point,” he said.

“We are already working closely with the Regulator to make specific improvements against these new requirements, and we are making rapid progress to that effect."

He added that the council would also bring forward an Action Plan which will be considered by the Cabinet "at the very first opportunity to ensure we are taking every step necessary to right this historic failure".

Cllr Swords said: “I am absolutely confident that as a result of the actions we have already put in place and those which are to be considered by the Cabinet, we will resolve this issue and at the next round of review, the council will not be in a C3 position.”

In August RSH published regulatory judgments criticsing four local authorities – Brighton and Hove City Council, the London Borough of Hackney, South Derbyshire District Council and Ashford Borough Council – over their failure to meet its consumer standards.

This was followed by the award of C3 gradings to another three councils – Castle Point Borough Council, North Yorkshire Council and Warwick District Council – earlier this month.

Harry Rodd