Brighton's social housing is failing, says regulator

The government's Regulator of Social Housing said "significant improvement" was needed

"Serious failings" have been identified in social housing in Brighton and Hove.

The Regulator of Social Housing said "significant improvement" was needed into Brighton and Hove City Council's (BHCC)'s provision.

The body's report said the council could not provide evidence it met smoke alarm requirements and it also failed to ensure some properties met electrical safety rules.

BHCC says it has introduced a "string of urgent measures", including investing more than £15m in making improvements to its existing housing supply.

The report stated there were 1,700 medium and low fire risk jobs to be carried out, with a majority overdue by at least two years.

There was a backlog of around 8,000 low priority repairs - with some that dated back to 2021.

There were also 3,600 homes without a current electrical condition report, and 500 water safety "remedial actions" that were overdue by at least three months - although none were urgent, the report said.

The report added that the council did not have evidence of a current electrical safety certificate for more than 600 communal areas, and had more than 600 properties where a water risk assessment was required.

'Hard work needed'

The council said it was prioritising electrical checks in homes, while also carrying out water assessments, fast-tracking fire safety assessments, and making sure all properties had a working smoke detector.

It says it is also clearing its backlog of repair work and reducing response times for new requests.

Councillor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing and new homes, said: "The findings of this report are extremely serious, and we do not take them lightly."

He added: "This council will not shy away from either the criticism within this report, or the urgent hard work needed to improve our services."