London council 'misled' Grenfell-era Regulator over fire risk in homes

Thomas Hardy House, which was flagged as having fire safety issues to Haringey Council in 2024 (Picture: Getty Images Europe) Haringey Council has been accused of misleading tenants about the fire risks their buildings pose. The Regulator of Social Housing found the London borough had ‘very seriously failed’ in meeting consumer standards – awarding them the lowest possible grade in their report published today. This includes finding almost 4,000 remedial actions identified during fire risk assessments were overdue, with 1,400 of these declared ‘high-risk’.

But in November, the council wrote to the regulator, saying they had fixed all high-risk, overdue fire safety issues. Some 16% of homes managed by the council also did not meet the Decent Homes Standard, with a backlog of damp and mould repairs and a lack of communication with tenants. Paul Burnham, who has lived in Haringey for 25 years, has told the council repeatedly he is concerned about the combustible panels on the outside of his building, as well as ‘ancient fire doors’ which leave him feeling unsafe.

He told Metro: ‘It has been 10 years since the Grenfell fire, and Haringey Council has learnt absolutely nothing. ‘They have completely disengaged with tenants, and told us consistently there is no significant fire risk. This report proves that this is not true.’ In 2023, the Regulator said the council had ‘put thousands of tenants at potential risk by failing to meet health and safety requirements for fire and electrical safety’. It came as a fire partly spread through the 17-storey Kenneth Robbins House, with residents reporting their smoke alarms did not go off.

Residents found eight medium-priority actions, including checking smoke alarms, had been listed as ‘ongoing’ for more than a year when they should have been completed within six months, Haringey Community Press reports. Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said that social housing must be made ‘safe and decent’. (Credits: EPA) Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party, told Metro: ‘This report shows how badly Haringey’s previous Labour-run council failed social housing tenants.

It’s shocking that thousands of overdue fire-safety actions were not disclosed to the regulator. ‘Social housing must also be made safe and decent. If the government is serious about fixing housing, this Budget must show it.’ Council Leader Cllr Mark Blake said: ‘For tenants and leaseholders who have spent years dealing with poor repairs, ignored complaints, and concerns about safety, today’s report will be deeply concerning, but not surprising. ‘The Grenfell tragedy showed us that nothing is more important than being transparent about fire safety.

Staggeringly, under the previous administration the council did not inform the Regulator of Social Housing of the true extent of fire safety risks.’ Jess Crowe, Corporate Director for Culture, Strategy and Communities for Haringey Council said: ‘We take the Regulator’s judgement very seriously and fully accept its findings. ‘I would like to unreservedly apologise to our tenants and leaseholders for the serious failings identified during the inspection.

Our residents deserve better from their landlord.’