Labour Party “served notice” over uninhabitable homes in Southwark

Southwark Liberal Democrats have issued the Labour Party with a notice in relation to the Homes (Fit for Human Habitation) Act - stating they believe that council homes in Southwark are systemically breaking the rules.  

Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrats, approached the national Labour Party HQ near Blackfriars Road to hand the notice in, but was denied entry.  
The letter underlines the scale of housing failure in Southwark under the Labour party’s rule for 16 years. In their letter, they highlight the Regulator of Social Housing’s findings “serious failings” which found that 50% of homes were without working smoke alarms or up to date EICR certificates.  

The Housing Ombudsman has also repeatedly found instances of severe maladministration, including recently highlighting a case where a family with children was left with damp and mould for 5 years, and eventually awarded compensation of £6,000. In 2024/25, 67% of the cases the Ombudsman looked at determined there was maladministration, with over £470,000 in compensation awarded. 

The Liberal Democrats had previously written to Angela Rayner – at the time Labour Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government - calling for urgent government intervention over the state of Southwark’s housing following the Regulator’s findings.  

The Government responded expressing concern over the scandal, with Housing Minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage confirming she was “monitoring the case closely” and was “extremely sorry to read about the experiences of residents living in Southwark Council housing.”