Michael Gove shames South London council after it didn't fix mum’s leaky roof for 5 years

The council said Michael Gove should focus on tackling the housing crisis instead of 'firing off letters from Whitehall'

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The government has slammed a South London council after it didn’t fix a mum’s leaky roof for five years. Housing secretary Michael Gove accused Lambeth Council of having 'failed your residents yet again' in a letter addressed to town hall boss Bayo Dosunmu.

Writing in response to failures in a case outlined by social landlord regulator, the Housing Ombudsman in June, Mr Gove said he expected the Labour-led council to 'implement changes as soon as possible', adding that he would continue to take a 'personal interest' in whether residents noticed an improvement.

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In a letter dated August 16, he wrote: “You have failed your residents yet again. Everyone, particularly those who are vulnerable, should be able to live in a decent, damp free home and to have repairs take place in a reasonable time.”

Earlier this year, the ombudsman ordered the council to pay £6,500 to the affected tenant after it dragged its heels in fixing a six year damp and mould problem in her flat. In one instance, Lambeth took five months to act on a safeguarding enquiry from her son’s primary school about black mould and a broken window pane in the property.

Mr Gove’s letter comes months after he accused the council of failing to provide 'the most basic level of decency' to tenants, following three separate cases where the ombudsman found severe failings involving Lambeth residents. In one instance, a disabled man had to flush his toilet using a bucket after workmen sent by the council left him without a functioning toilet while installing a bathroom.

In the previous letter addressed to Mr Dosunmu and council leader Claire Holland from March, Mr Gove said he was 'appalled' to read about Lambeth’s 'persistent failure to provide even the most basic level of decency that a resident should expect from you as a landlord'.

Last month, the ombudsman announced Lambeth Council would be the first ever in the country to be inspected over concerns about how it handled a resident’s complaint. The ombudsman is also due to hold an open meeting with Lambeth residents and the council in September.

Lambeth Council has received four findings of serious service failure, known as severe maladministration, from the ombudsman since March 2022. These follow a special report published by the ombudsman on the council in February 2022 due to the frequency and amount of complaint handling failures linked to it.

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Councillor Donna Harris, Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, said the Labour-led council needed to “immediately rectify the housing complaints and repairs process.”

Cllr Harris, member for Streatham Hill West and Thornton, added: “I am both appalled and horrified in equal amounts that Lambeth continues to be admonished with regard to persistent negligence towards housing repairs. It is utterly damning that the Housing Ombudsman and the secretary of state have had to intervene yet again.”

Councillor Maria Kay, Lambeth’s cabinet member for better homes and reducing homelessness, said the council's service in the case of the tenant with the leaking roof fell below its standards. She added that works to the property had since been completed and the family had been moved to a new home.

She added: “I do not believe the service they received in recent years reflects the service the council is providing to residents today. We are working hard to improve that service, correcting historic failings, improving complaints processes and ensuring repairs are completed in a timely way.

"This isn’t easy for the council as one of the biggest social landlords in the country at a time of government cuts to councils, but I believe the changes we are making are ensuring residents get a better service.

“We have worked positively with the housing regulator and Ombudsman on these changes and welcome engagement with the government on them as well.

"However, Michael Gove’s record in government has been one of cuts to local councils and a refusal to invest in the public services that support our residents. After 13 year in power and doing nothing, we need a government that works with councils to invest in services and improving homes, instead of firing off letters from Whitehall while doing nothing to solve the UK housing crisis."

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