Lib Dems Invite Housing Watchdog to Inspect Southwark First Under New Powers

Under new powers granted by the government earlier this year, the Regulator of Social Housing will now be able to inspect Local Authorities on a rolling four year basis.

With council housing in Southwark receiving record complaints, and its major works programme being mired in scandal, the Liberal Democrats are calling for the regulator to inspect Southwark as matter of urgency.

Under the new regime, the regulator will be able to rate local authorities in a manner similar to Ofsted, focusing on service to residents.

This comes after the interim housing director in Southwark told Southwark’s main scrutiny committee that he expected the regulator of social housing would be ‘appalled’ at the situation in Southwark.

The Housing Ombudsman recently revealed that Southwark was one of the most complained about councils in the country, prompting the Secretary of State Michael Gove to intervene.

Commenting, Southwark Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Chamberlain said:

“It’s about time that Southwark Labour’s rotten housing department is exposed for how dysfunctional it is. The consistent message we’ve heard is the appalling way residents have been treated. Residents have either had their concerns dismissed or just not been communicated with at all. That’s why I’ve written to them asking that Southwark be one of the first to be scrutinised under this new regime.”