Brent Council fails to meet consumer standards

Brent Council has been handed a low ‘C3’ grading in the latest batch of judgments from the Regulator of Social Housing due to concerns over fire safety and stock data.

The judgement for the north London local authority means there are serious failings, and it must make significant improvements.

RSH said Brent, which manages 8,800 homes, referred itself to the regulator over concerns about the quality and accuracy of its fire safety data.  RSH found that data for fire safety, smoke and carbon monoxide safety, asbestos management and water safety “could not be reconciled”.

It said: “Brent is not able to determine which legally required checks and assessments have been completed. We also have concerns about the data validation process that took place prior to Brent implementing its new asset management system and will be reviewing its efficacy as part of our ongoing engagement.”

It also said that although the borough reported having stock condition data for 95% of its data but almost half of its homes had not had a recorded survey.

RSH said Brent has engaged positively since making its referral and has put plans in place, including working to develop a suitable action plan to resolve the issues.

A Brent Council spokesperson said that as soon as concerns were identified, the council notified tenants to explain what is being done and the council has committed to working closely with the regulator to ensure rapid and lasting improvements for tenants.

It said it has appointed and is working closely with health and safety specialists and is developing a recovery plan which will see internal processes and accountability strengthened in order to improve safety compliance. It is also appointing more contractors to address overdue actions and is committing to keeping tenants informed throughout the process.

Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, cabinet member for housing and resident services at Brent Council, said: “We take our responsibilities as a landlord very seriously and the council accepts that we have let tenants down in the areas outlined by the regulator and for this we apologise unreservedly. In this instance, we have fallen short of our responsibilities as a landlord and failed to meet the expectations of our tenants.

“The council is determined to improve the quality of council homes. We have made real progress in recent months – from launching a new damp and mould squad to action days where teams blitz through repairs that are needed on council estates - but we know there is still much more to do.”

In other judgements today, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing’s (MTVH) governance rating was downgraded one notch to ‘G2’, which means it is still in compliance but needs to improve its arrangements. RSH said: “Specifically, improvements are needed in how the board assures itself around the delivery of outcomes of the Safety and Quality standard, and the quality of its stress testing.” MTVH was also handed complaint V2 and C2 grades for viability and consumer regulation respectively.

 Latest Regulator of Social Housing judgements