The Regulator of Social Housing has recently taken enforcement action against Broxtowe Borough Council and Gosport Borough Council after identifying serious and long-standing failures to address fire and electrical safety risks in their housing stock.
Gosport Borough Council received a C4 consumer grading, the lowest possible rating, after inspectors found over 900 overdue fire safety remedial actions alongside more than 300 overdue electrical safety checks and remedial works, with some issues outstanding for several years. The Regulator described the breadth and scale of the failings as unacceptable.
Broxtowe Borough Council was issued with a C3 consumer grading following an inspection that identified more than 3,000 outstanding fire safety remedial actions, some of which had been overdue for a considerable period. The Regulator concluded that these failures exposed residents to unacceptable levels of risk and demonstrated weaknesses in safety assurance and operational control.
These cases underline the Regulator’s increasing focus on fire and electrical safety and its willingness to intervene where known risks are not being addressed. They also highlight the regulatory expectation that social housing providers must have effective systems in place to identify, prioritise, and complete fire and electrical safety actions in a timely way to protect residents.
