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Council carrying out urgent review of high-rise blocks after ‘appalling’ conditions exposed
A south London council has said it will undertake an urgent review of its high-rise buildings and hold an independent inquiry following the exposure of “appalling conditions”, including mould and heavy leaks, within one of its blocks.
Croydon Council has been publicly criticised by housing secretary Robert Jenrick and London mayor Sadiq Khan after a report by ITV News exposed the poor conditions within a council-owned tower block on Regina Road in South Norwood.
Images from ITV showed residents living in flats with walls turned entirely black from mould and sodden carpets due to heavy leaks.
Residents of the block told ITV that they have been complaining to Labour-run Croydon Council about the issues for more than a year.
Mr Jenrick said on Twitter that he was “appalled by what has occurred in Croydon and will be seeking urgent answers from Croydon Council”.
Mr Khan said he was “shocked and deeply disturbed by the appalling conditions faced by these residents” and that he had contacted the council “to request they rehouse the residents immediately”.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, and Dame Judith Hackitt, former chair of the Health and Safety Executive and chair of a government-commissioned review into building safety post-Grenfell, told ITV that the conditions at the block were the worst they had ever seen.
The council has apologised and moved affected residents out of two flats into temporary accommodation while it carries out urgent safety checks and repairs.
It has also self-referred to the Regulator of Social Housing and the Health and Safety Executive.
The authority did not dispute a claim from ITV that action was only taken after the programme contacted the local authority about its story when asked about the allegation by Inside Housing.
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The revelations come weeks after Croydon Council was slammed by MP for Croydon North and shadow communities secretary Steve Reed for the “sub-standard” conditions within a hotel it uses for temporary accommodation.
Last November the council essentially declared itself bankrupt by issuing a Section 114 notice, putting a freeze on all non-essential spending.
As the council’s Housing Revenue Account is ringfenced, its spending on council homes should not in theory be affected by its wider financial woes.
In a statement a Croydon Council spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that our residents have not had the proper level of care and the standards at these homes are absolutely not what we would want or expect for any of our tenants.
“As soon as we were made aware of the gravity of the situation, we moved them out of the properties while we carry out an immediate investigation and repairs.
“We will be undertaking a review of all our high-rise council blocks as a matter of urgency and holding an independent inquiry to ensure this never happens again.”
The council retains a stock of around 13,400 homes and said the review, led by an external specialist with input from tenants, will cover 16 tower blocks.
Hamida Ali, leader of Croydon Council, added later on Tuesday: “I am absolutely appalled by the horrific conditions our residents have been living in and we will leave no stone unturned in finding out how and why this has happened.”
Under new changes brought in under the government’s Social Housing White Paper, councils will soon become subject to proactive engagement with the Regulator of Social Housing as part of a move to boost the English regulator’s powers to police consumer standards.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “By law all landlords must ensure properties are fit for people to live in and all registered providers of social housing must meet standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.
“This includes complying with the government’s Decent Homes Standard, which ensures properties are safe and decent.
“We’ve announced major reforms to support tenants, including our charter for social housing residents, that will provide greater redress for residents, better regulation and improve the quality of social housing.”
Update: at 13.26pm, 24/03/21
The story was updated with more information
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