Serious failures found in council's social housing

Serious failings have been identified in a council's social housing operation.

The Regulator of Social Housing said significant improvement was needed to improve West Northamptonshire Council's housing, which is run by Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH).

Earlier this month the Conservative-controlled council said it had referred itself to the regulator following a review that found NPH may have failed to maintain national quality and safety standards.

The council said it accepted the regulator's findings and was taking immediate action to address the issues.

The report found there were not adequate health and safety processes in place.

The regulator said that, as a result, the council was unable to provide assurances that it was completing all necessary health and safety checks in relation to fire and electrical safety, water, asbestos, lifts, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, or that any necessary work was being completed within appropriate timescales.

The council said action was already under way to address the issues, with NPH prioritising safety concerns such as carrying out fire risk assessments for properties with communal spaces.

Checks of all 11,500 properties are set to be completed by the end of December.

Adam Brown, leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "This is simply not good enough and we are sorry that standards have fallen short of what the council and tenants should expect.

"We accept this judgment and welcome the regulator's input and transparency, as this will help us drive forward the urgent improvements required together."

Two senior directors have joined NPH to work with its management team, and two experts with experience of managing housing stocks will also join.

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