Lambeth council becomes first authority to be inspected in-person by Housing Ombudsman

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A council will be the first in the country to be inspected in-person by the Housing Ombudsman because it is consistently failing to deal properly with complaints from residents.

The Housing Ombudsman, which deals with complaints about local authority landlords, will swoop on Lambeth council to inspect how it handles complaints after it found a “concerning” recurrence of one case, with residents facing mice infestations, collapsed ceilings and mouldy properties.

Residents who previously complained to the Ombudsman about housing problems and had their cases investigated and resolved reported the same problems returning.

The Ombudsman found the Labour-led council again failed to properly deal with the issues the second time they arose.

The watchdog said the council hadn’t followed its own policies, had failed to  fully investigate issues and hadn’t offered appropriate remedies in the recurring cases.

It is the first time the Housing Ombudsman has used its powers to carry out an in-person inspection of a council or housing association landlord.

Donna Harris, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition, said the Labour leadership was “overseeing a litany of catastrophic housing failures”.

She said: “We’ve met residents who have suffered for months on end with mice infestations, unimaginable damp and mould, and even their ceilings caving in, but it’s almost impossible to get any urgent repairs completed.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful that residents in modern Britain are forced to live in Dickensian conditions. The cabinet member for housing and homelessness needs to immediately and radically overhaul the housing repair and complaints process.”

The council’s Green Party group said the involvement of the Housing Ombudsman was “long overdue”.

Co-leaders Cllr Nicole Griffiths and Cllr Scott Ainslie said: “Lambeth council has continually failed residents through horrendous and poor treatment. We hope the investigation goes beyond this one case, as the issues are both widespread and endemic in Lambeth.”

The Housing Ombudsman also announced it will hold an open meeting with Lambeth residents in September to hear about issues facing tenants and the council.

Lambeth council apologised for the failings and said it had recently implemented a number of improvements to how it deals with complaints, including dedicated complaints officers, better communication with contractors and increased monitoring of agreed solutions.

A council spokesman said: “Lambeth has worked intensively with the Housing Ombudsman and with residents to improve the way we respond to complaints and tackle any issues raised, to ensure we provide the best possible service to all our tenants.

“The council recognises the importance of addressing complaints received efficiently and effectively with a view to providing viable resolutions for our residents when things go wrong.”

Pictured top: Lambeth town hall (Picture: PA)