Two Conservative MPs for Arundel & South Downs and Bognor Regis & Littlehampton, representing a majority of the Arun District, have slammed Arun District Council and the Liberal Democrat/Green coalition of chaos for significant failures to deliver safe social housing for residents.
Andrew Griffith MP and Alison Griffiths MP have issued a joint statement saying, “This is an appalling assessment of one of the council’s most primary functions – to deliver safe homes for those who need them the most. They have failed massively in this key area and literally put the lives of residents at risk.” The MPs are calling for pay cuts to the officers responsible and for the council to be put into special measures.
The Regulator of Social Housing published its damning report on Arun District Council (27th August) following an inspection earlier in August, giving the council the lowest possible grade of C4. Arun District Council owns around 3,500 social housing homes. The Regulator has concluded ‘that there are very serious failings in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards.’ These standards are primarily focused on safety and quality.
Arun District Council has not delivered a plan to address these serious failings. The Regulator states that they 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.’
As part of its inspections of the council, the Regulator met with tenants, officers, and the Leader of Arun District Council.
The Regulator’s final report points to “the council’s failure to meet legal health and safety requirements, repairs not been completed on time, and homes not meeting the Decent Homes Standard”. Shockingly, nearly 1,000 fire risk assessment remedial actions were overdue, with more than two thirds of those being categorised as high risk. Half of their homes do not have smoke detectors – something which in the private rented sector would lead to criminal prosecution of those responsible.
Repairs and maintenance to their properties fell far outside the acceptable timescales, with around 2,500 cases of repairs, and 1,500 of these falling overdue by more than three months. Furthermore, Arun District Council could not provide the Regulator with assurance that hazards from the health and safety assessments were being addressed.
The council also has responsibility for tackling anti-social behaviours (ASB) by working in partnership with local authority departments. The Regulator identified serious failings in this area because the council could not provide any evidence of taking prompt and appropriate action to respond to cases.
The final part of the Regulator’s report states the Arun District Council could not provide evidence that tenancies are compatible with the type of accommodation or the needs of the individual households.
The two MPs will be writing to Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, to express their deep concerns at Arun District Council’s poor performance and to call for the council to be placed into special measures.”
Alison Griffiths, MP for Bognor Regis & Littlehampton, said:
“This is simply unacceptable. No council can expect to continue running as a landlord when it cannot meet the most basic of safety standards. It cannot be that hard to provide smoke detectors to properties to protect residents, but Arun have evidently failed at that. The Leader of the Council has failed to scrutinise this part of the council’s service and should be deeply ashamed of this outcome.”
Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel & South Downs, added:
“Many social housing tenants visit my weekly surgeries with concerns about Arun District Council housing. This verdict from the Regulator is some justice for the thousands of tenants who are suffering. Rather than deal with the damp mould and safety concerns, the Lib Dem and Green coalition running the council waffle on about climate whilst giving offers sky high salaries and pay-offs. It’s time this failing council was put into special measures.”
Councillor Shaun Gunner added:
“The Green Party Chair of Housing, Councillor Carol Birch, must resign immediately for presiding over the failure and council staff need to bring forward an urgent plan to improve the lives of Arun residents.”
Notes:
The report can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/arun-district-council/arun-district-council-45uc-regulatory-judgement-27-august-2025
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is a government body, operating independently of ministers, responsible for registering and regulating social housing providers (mainly housing associations, but also some local authorities).
- Its main roles are to:
- Ensure landlords are financially viable and well-governed.
- Protect tenants by setting and enforcing consumer standards (covering safety, tenant involvement, complaints handling, etc.).
- Intervene if a landlord is failing in its legal and regulatory duties.
