Heated debate erupts as Gosport council's 'serious failures' leave tenants living in 'unsafe homes'

In December, the regulator issued the authority with a C4 grading, the most severe rating available, indicating very serious failings in the management of council housing and the need for fundamental changes.

Among the findings, the inspection found more than 900 overdue fire safety remedial actions, some dating back to 2012.

The regulator also highlighted gaps in the council’s housing data. Around 20% of sampled stock condition surveys were last carried out in 2012, while a third of properties had no survey on record.

At the full council meeting on March 6, housing board chairman Cllr Sue Ballard issued a public apology for the failings.

She said: “While the regulatory judgement has been written directly to all our tenants, we apologise for these serious failures.

“We are continuing to work constructively with the regulator, and we are working diligently to secure a higher rating.”

However, Conservative councillors blamed the Liberal Democrat administration for the rating and accused the council of allowing tenants to live in unsafe homes.

Cllr Lesley Meenaghan said: “The inspection found tenants are living in unsafe homes.

“This Liberal Democrat council has had three and a half years to act – to review the surveys, commission safety assessments and tackle the backlog – yet nothing meaningful was done until inspectors arrived. What would have happened if they had never been inspected?”

She also criticised the number of cancelled housing board meetings.

“Nearly half of their board meetings have been cancelled. This is not governance or scrutiny – this is negligence. The administration is responsible for putting people at risk.

“The residents of Gosport, some of the most vulnerable in our society, deserve action, accountability and safe homes – not excuses or cancellations. This is about real people, not politics.”

Cllr Dan Hayes echoed those concerns. He said: “They have had three and a half years of silence in council meetings, and this failure belongs entirely and exclusively to this administration.”

“The issue is not an inheritance from the Conservative council but the result of Liberal Democrat inaction.”

However, the leader of the council Cllr Peter Chegwyn rejected that claim, arguing that many of the problems date back to when the Conservatives ran the council.

“These problems go back to 2012. What did you ever do about them? Nothing.

“When we took control, how many members of the staff were checking on over the 3,000 council hoses to see if there were safe? How many did you leave? One. You had one member of the staff trying to check 3,000 houses for their safety. An impossible task.

“Don’t give us lectures or crocodile tears now. When councillor Meenaghan says is about people and not politics, absolutely right.

“The problems go back. They were never addressed when you run the council. Don’t give us lectures on what do to or not, your government completely fails to address these issues, not only in Gosport but nationwide. Shame on you.

“Put your own house in order before you lecture us.”

Cllr Ballard added: “These are people homes and they don’t want petty politics; they just want us to put thing right. And that is exactly what we are doing. We are picking up the mess that you left.”