Birmingham’s social housing crisis continues to deepen, with just 26.6% of council houses now meeting the Government’s Decent Homes Standard according to shocking new figures released in papers for today’s Cabinet meeting.
In May 2023, a report by the Regulator for Social Housing exposed catastrophic failures in Birmingham’s social housing provision, including 17,000 overdue asbestos checks and 23,000 council homes falling below the Decent Homes Standard. Despite repeated warnings, Birmingham Labour has failed to reverse the decline.
The continued decline from the 31% compliance, reported last quarter, highlights the Council’s ongoing failure to address the worsening conditions endured by thousands of tenants. The new figures confirm Labour’s inability to meet its own target of increasing the number of decent homes by 8% a year, let alone restoring the 99% compliance achieved under the last Conservative-led administration in 2012.
Since declaring a housing emergency in January 2023, the level of decent homes in the city has collapsed to now only 1 in 4 meeting decent homes standards. This means over 45,000 properties, more than 1/10th of the City, are currently not meeting decent home standards, officially making Labour-run Birmingham City Council the largest rogue landlord in the City.
While the level of decent homes in Birmingham has collapsed from 99% when Labour took control to 26.6% currently, nationally the opposite has happened with other councils increasing the number of decent homes and the core city average rising to over 88% of houses meeting decent homes standards.
Cllr Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley), Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and Birmingham Local Conservatives, said:
Birmingham Labour’s housing record has gone from bad to diabolical. Their promise to fix this crisis was hollow, and tenants continue to pay the price. Nearly 75% of Birmingham’s social housing is now unfit for purpose, with conditions that endanger the health and dignity of residents. Labour’s inability to meet even the most modest improvement targets is a failure of leadership, competence, and compassion. Once again, the truth must be said loud and clear – our Council tenants are not safe with Birmingham Labour as a landlord. If this carries on it will result in loss of life.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition, and Birmingham Local Conservatives added:
This is a disgrace. Labour’s leadership of Birmingham City Council is failing the very people it is supposed to protect. Families are trapped in damp, mould-ridden homes, and instead of solutions, we see more excuses and falling standards. The latest figures reveal that Labour hasn’t just missed its targets; it has driven this crisis to its worst-ever point. Worse still, as evidenced by Labour’s amendments in this month’s Full Council, the Administration refuse to acknowledge the impact falling housing standards will have on critical issues like child poverty in the City. Under the last Conservative-led Administration, 99% of Birmingham’s council homes met the Decent Homes Standard. Labour inherited a city with a strong record on housing and has utterly squandered it.
