'Serious failings' in management of council housing

The government said it was not proposing to take enforcement action against the authority at this stage but would keep that decision "under review"

"Serious failings" have been identified by government inspectors in the management of housing owned by Leicester City Council.

A July inspection revealed that about 70% of properties owned by the authority had not had an electrical safety test at the time of the visit.

The local authority was also unable to evidence that its council houses were free of the most serious category of hazards as it last completed a comprehensive survey of its properties in 2009.

The inspection, carried out by the government's Regulator of Social Housing department, saw the city council receive the second lowest consumer standards rating, meaning "significant improvement was needed".

Category one hazards can include mould, asbestos, fall risks, overcrowding and fire and electrical problems, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The council said the safety of its tenants was its "absolute priority", adding that it was "completely confident" that people were safe in their council homes.

The council was praised for "dealing effectively" with anti-social behaviour and hate incidents

Inspectors also said that there were "weaknesses" in the council's provision of "an effective, efficient and timely repairs and maintenance service", and expressed concerns over its complaints handling.

Chris Burgin, the council's director of housing, said new standards had been introduced last year, and the authority had recognised at that point that it "needed to carry out a significant amount of work" to meet those standards.

It had already established a "robust action plan" for doing so, and had implemented it "immediately", Mr Burgin said.

He added: "Of course the safety of our tenants is our absolute priority, and we are completely confident that tenants are safe in their homes.

"Our stock is in good condition because of the massive investment the council has made over many years, and the detailed evidence we have because of the inspections and monitoring we undertake.

"And we have a repairs service that completes over 90,000 reported repairs each year to ensure our stock continues to be safe."

Asbestos accuracy concern

Inspectors stated in their report that they were not assured that the city council had "sufficient understanding of the condition of its homes" to meet safety and quality standards.

Additionally, the officials said, the council had only inspected 27% of its homes "for decency" in the past five years, but it did have plans to survey the rest over the coming years.

Following concerns over the "accuracy of its data" when it came to asbestos, the council also "recently" began resurveying all of its communal areas, the report stated.

Weaknesses were additionally found when it came to "effective, efficient and timely repairs and maintenance", inspectors said.

They further criticised the council over its complaints handling, saying there was "limited evidence" the authority was addressing these "fairly, effectively, and promptly".