Michael Gove hits out at Lambeth Council over housing

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has criticised Lambeth Council for the "completely unacceptable" way it has dealt with complaints and repairs.

In a letter to the council, Mr Gove said he was "appalled" to read about three maladministration cases investigated by the Housing Ombudsman.

They include one case of damp and mould, and another involving a disabled man left without a toilet for weeks.

Lambeth Council said it was "focused on making improvements".

It comes after Mr Gove wrote to all council leaders and social housing providers in England in December warning them to make improvements in the wake of the death of toddler Awaab Ishak from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his family's flat.

In Mr Gove's letter to the council dated 3 March, he writes that it "persistently" failed to provide "the most basic level of decency" to tenants and said its "poor record keeping" is "completely unacceptable".

It follows the ombudsman's investigation last month, which found severe maladministration failings by the council in three cases involving tenants in 2021. It told the council to "radically improve," and ordered it to apologise and pay a total of £4,350 in compensation to the families. 

One disabled man was left without a functioning toilet while workmen sent by the council fitted a ground-floor bathroom.

Another tenant with arthritis was left without hot water over Christmas and the new year by council workmen. 

In the third case, mentioned by Mr Gove in the letter, a mum and her daughter who was allergic to damp were left in a mouldy home for six months because the council failed to fix a leak in a flat above.

The letter has been sent to council leader Claire Holland and chief executive Bayo Dosunmu. It has also been sent to Florence Eshalomi, the Labour MP for Vauxhall, and Donna Harris, leader of Lambeth Council's Liberal Democrat opposition.

Ms Harris said: "It is totally abhorrent that the Housing Ombudsman has found yet again severe maladministration within Lambeth's Labour council. Lambeth Council need to concentrate on hitting their own response times with immediate effect, as they are currently failing dismally."

A council spokesperson said it "fully supports" residents' right to complain about issues, and has "apologised where the services provided to our tenants have fallen below acceptable standards".

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