Rapid and sustained improvements in the way Brent manages housing services have been promised by the council, following a judgement published by the Regulator of Social Housing.
The judgement, published today (28 May 2025), found that the council has not met all of its responsibilities as a landlord in delivering against the outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard, saying ‘significant improvement is needed’.
The council voluntarily referred itself to the Regulator last month, after its Housing Improvement Plan highlighted concerns with how building safety risk assessment actions had previously been managed. The regulator has said the council has ‘engaged positively with us since making its self-referral and has plans in place to understand the wider impact of its current position.’
While all required safety checks had been completed across its housing estates, the council identified weaknesses in how follow-up actions were managed and recorded.
As soon as concerns were identified, the council notified tenants to explain what is being done and the council has committed to working closely with the Regulator to ensure rapid and lasting improvements for tenants. It has appointed and is working closely with health and safety specialists and is developing a robust recovery plan which will see internal processes and accountability strengthened in order to improve safety compliance. In addition, the council is appointing more contractors to address overdue actions and is committing to keeping tenants informed throughout the process.