Norwich city councillors 'kept in dark' over home safety issues

Safety checks have not been carried out at council properties across Norwich

Council bosses have been criticised for keeping councillors "in the dark" over housing safety issues despite knowing about them for months.

Norwich City Council's cabinet passed recommendations on Friday to ensure failures to carry out safety checks in council homes were not repeated.

Letters were sent to 17,000 people in October to tell them fire, water and electrical inspections were not done.

The council's chief executive said it took time to "develop a clear picture".

Liberal Democrat councillor Judith Lubbock criticised the amount of time it took to inform tenants and councillors about the issue.

The council had started its investigation in May, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service

"When money was being spent [on consultations], when things were being found out that were crucial, I feel very let down that I was kept in the dark," said Ms Lubbock.

Council executive Louise Rawsthorne said the Labour-controlled authority's leader Alan Waters and deputy leader Gail Harris were alerted after a housing review had been requested.

The council started performing safety checks and reported itself to a regulator once it became clear there was a problem.

Chief executive Stephen Evans said: "This started because an executive director [Ms Rawsthorne] asked the right questions.

"Due to the sensitive nature, we had to be really certain before we informed tenants."

The Green Party's Lucy Galvin asked if the council had started any legal action against the companies that should have carried out the checks or if any legal action was being brought by residents.

But the monitoring officer said the issue could not be debated in public.