The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published Regulatory Notices (RNs) for Cornwall Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council following self-referrals from both local authorities.
Cornwall Council has failed to meet statutory health and safety requirements in relation to fire, electrical, asbestos and water safety. Consequently the Council has breached the Home Standard resulting in the potential for serious detriment to its tenants.
Key points of the RN are:
- 90% of applicable buildings did not have a current Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)
- Hundreds of remedial actions from FRAs conducted between 2016 and 2018 were outstanding
- Hundreds of properties had not had an electrical inspection in the last 10 years
- Electrical inspections were overdue for nearly 100 communal areas in properties
- Hundreds of remedial actions relating to asbestos safety were overdue in communal areas and
- Hundreds of remedial actions relating to water safety were also overdue or outstanding.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has failed to meet statutory health and safety requirements in relation to fire, water, electrical and asbestos safety. Consequently the Council has also breached the Home Standard resulting in the potential for serious detriment to its tenants.
Key points of the RN are:
- 90% of applicable buildings did not have a current Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)
- Thousands of remedial actions from FRAs conducted in 2018 were outstanding, half of which had the highest risk rating
- In relation to water safety, hundreds of properties did not have a compliant Legionella Risk Assessment (LRA) and the Council was yet to establish whether a similar number of properties required an LRA
- Hundreds of properties had never received an electrical inspection, with a smaller number of properties having been most recently inspected more than 10 years ago and
- In relation to asbestos safety, over a hundred re-inspections and reviews of communal areas were overdue.