Some things ‘came as an absolute surprise to me’ says chair of district council’s housing committee, as inspectors found more than 1,000 overdue fire safety fixes and no clear records of stock surveys for almost a decade
Tandridge District Council, across the borough and county boundary in Surrey, has been handed the lowest rating by the housing watchdog after inspectors uncovered “very serious failings” in the way it manages its council homes.
This latest set-back follows Tandridge reporting itself to the Regulator of Social Housing in December 2024 because of failures to conduct regular electricity safety checks in its council homes.
Following a visit from inspectors in July, the Regulator of Social Housing has now given Tandridge a C4 grade – indicating urgent and fundamental change is needed.
Inspectors found more than 1,000 overdue fire safety fixes, nearly 400 homes without an electrical safety check and no clear records of stock surveys since 2016.
The report states: “Although Tandridge DC has indicated a willingness to address these failings, we have not yet seen evidence to sufficiently assure us that it understands the potential risks to tenants and of its ability to put matters right, including taking prompt action to gain assurance that tenants are safe.”
According to the BBC, one veteran Tandridge councillor, Jeremy Pursehouse, said “There were some things that came as an absolute surprise to me.” Councillor Pursehouse is the chair of Tandridge’s housing committee.
In 2023, Tandridge was one of 14 social landlords to have been served with a severe warning from the then housing secretary Michael Gove.
Pursehouse did admit last week that the Social Housing Regulator’s inspectors’ findings were “disappointing”.
Not a clue: Tandridge housing chair Jeremy Pursehouse
The inspectors flagged serious omissions in repairs data, failures over tenant engagement, and how the council tackles hate incidents.
The regulator has stopped short of taking enforcement action but says it will be “engaging intensively” to make sure the council puts things right.
“We cannot accept tenants’ safety and well-being being put at risk,” said the RSH’s Kate Dodsworth.
“We expect the council to develop a comprehensive improvement plan urgently that recognises the scale and breadth of the issues, and that drives fundamental change across all the areas identified. This should be shared with tenants.”
More than £420,000 has been set aside for the first wave of changes, including hiring extra housing staff and upgrading the council’s IT systems.
Immediate actions to be taken include a full housing stock condition survey with urgent safety issues flagged, to be conducted this autumn.
Tandridge District Council has its offices in Oxted and provides some local services in Caterham, Godstone, Lingfield and Warlingham. The council has been run since 2024 by an alliance between residents’ association councillors and the Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group.
Read more: Tandridge reports itself to housing regulator over electric tests
Read more: Tandridge among 14 landlords rebuked by Gove over housing
Read more: 45 houses on Farleigh Meadows is latest battle for Green Belt
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Worse than Croydon? That’s some achievement.
Hats off to Tandridge’s former Housing supremo, James Devonshire. In July he bade colleagues farewell, saying “I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved since accepting the Head of Housing role nearly three years ago. Together, we have rebuilt an entire housing service following a failed transformation in 2019, we have achieved good levels of resident satisfaction and helped the Council generate savings of nearly £6m in four years amongst others. ”
Devonshire is now a Regional Director for Clarion. That cowboy outfit is no stranger to Housing Ombudsman criticism. Board members include Croydon’s “Lord” Barwell, the government housing minister at the time of the Grenfell disaster.
In the run up to the Grenfell disaster, Barwell was contacted seven times by the Fire Safety and Rescue All-Party Parliamentary Group with warnings of the potentially deadly consequences of Class 0 fire rated materials. Their last letter on that subject was sent 26 days before the fire that killed 72 people.
The Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have indicated that no charges will be announced until late 2026
I lived in caterham for 20years in a council house and the level of service is a disgrace greedy councillors looking after Oxted and to hell with caterham a great little town ruined by too many new homes lining the councils pockets should be investigated, the greedy bastards
It would probably not lead to an improvement in any council provision, let alone housing, but if places currently in Tandridge but on the Croydon side of the North Downs (such as Caterham, Warlingham and Woldingham) are being ignored by Tandridge DC, perhaps they ought to be controlled by Croydon Council instead? They might like being out in Surrey, as opposed to in the Deep South of a mega city like London(?), but they can’t have everything….