The Housing Ombudsman has called for ‘radical improvements’ to be made at Lambeth LBC, following five findings of severe maladministration.
The watchdog claimed the council was ‘disrespectful’ and ‘lacked empathy for the impact of its service failures’.The cases involved the council’s response to a complaint of mould in a house with a child who suffered from allergies to damp and mould and a boiler repair that took months.
In one case, related to adaptations, the chief executive was ordered to apologise personally to a tenant after they were left without a functioning bathroom.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said the three cases showed ‘common points of failure’.
‘It is critical for the landlord to make changes to prevent similar failings affecting other residents.
‘This requires strong leadership and a corporate focus on driving change, creating a culture that does not tolerate these sorts of failures.’
However, he welcomed the council’s response.
In a statement, the council said: ‘Repairs are now being carried out promptly in the vast majority of cases. However, we know that there have been some cases in 2020 where we have not provided the standard of service that our tenants expect.
‘We apologise for all of these, and we also work hard to ensure that any issues are tackled quickly.’
This article was originally published by The MJ (£).
