Regulator of Social Housing finds council falling short of consumer standards amid concerns at overdue fire safety actions

Kirklees Council has failed to deliver the outcomes of the consumer standards, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has concluded in a regulatory notice that follows a self-referral by the local authority.

The Regulator found that although Kirklees had carried out fire risk assessments for all relevant blocks, some 20,000 fire safety actions were overdue.

RSH also discovered that the council had failed to complete more than 1,500 damp and mould repairs in tenants’ homes.

However, the Regulator stated that Kirklees had demonstrated that it now understands its responsibilities and is taking action to complete the overdue fire safety actions and addressing reports of damp and mould.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “All landlords must meet health and safety requirements and provide an effective repairs service for tenants. Kirklees Council failed to do this and it is now working to put things right.

“The council referred itself to us and has engaged constructively. We expect all other social landlords to do the same when they find or suspect a problem, so issues can be resolved promptly.”

Kirklees, in response, said it would be working with RSH to improve the way it ensures the council maintains safety for all tenants living in council housing. It will also be making improvements to the way it helps tenants who experience damp, mould, and condensation in their homes.

Cllr Moses Crook, Kirklees’ Cabinet member for Housing, said: “Tenant safety is our top priority which is why we referred ourselves to the regulator for these issues. We are aware that we need to get through a considerable backlog of works and want to assure tenants that they remain safe because of the risk management we already have in place. We will be working with the Regulator of Social Housing to tackle the issues raised in their notice and address their concerns around the number of outstanding fire risk actions and levels of damp, mould and condensation cases.

“Over the next few months, we will be recruiting more staff to help increase the pace of delivery across both damp, mould and condensation and fire safety improvements.

“We have several programmes of work already in delivery to resolve actions identified through fire risk assessments and are developing further schemes to address the remainder. For some blocks this means we will be undertaking large scale refurbishment works and for others it means renewals and small-scale improvements to homes and communal areas. We continue to prioritise actions and work based on the level of risk to tenants and the wider public.”

Cllr Crook insisted that the safety measures in place were “robust” and included 24/7 waking watch and CCTV monitoring in high-rises, prompt repairs and up-to-date alarm systems. All safety measures are reinforced with regular checks and immediate actions after any fire incident.

Kirklees has committed to investing more than £117 million on fire safety improvements across council housing by 2031.

Cllr Crook said: “Reports of cases of damp, mould and condensation are high and have been since winter 2022. In 2023, the way we respond to reports of damp, mould and condensation was reviewed and changed, this has resulted in earlier understanding of the vulnerability of tenants and the problems with the home. We are continuing to review our approach to damp, mould and condensation and have allocated a further £2 million per year to the budgets for this over the next three years.

“We know that we need to increase the pace at which we are resolving cases and are now looking at further changes and improvements we can make to be able to do this. We are working hard with our contractors to provide mould treatments, install additional ventilation in homes, resolve structural damp and other underlying issues that contribute to levels of damp, mould, and condensation.’’

Harry Rodd