Southwark Council has once again been found to have carried out severe maladministration by the Housing Ombudsman, this time for failing to fix contaminated water in a block of flats, leaving at least three homes without safe water for over a year.
The Ombudsman found that the Council ignored complaints of “orange” water with “bits of metal in it”, delayed inspections for 16 months, and failed to act, even though a contractor had raised the issue three years earlier.
One leaseholder was eventually forced to replace her own boiler just to access clean water, after being left to fend for herself.
The findings come as part of a long-running pattern of housing failures in Southwark. The Council is also under scrutiny from the Regulator of Social Housing, which handed it a C3 grading, the second-lowest possible and indicating “serious failings” in late 2024.
Southwark Liberal Democrats say these scandals are not isolated, but symptomatic of a wider crisis in how the Council treats its leaseholders and tenants. Residents have faced failing district heating systems, sky high bills, and major works scandals with many feeling ignored or blamed instead of supported.
Earlier this year, Southwark was also ordered to pay £17,000 in compensation after failing to fix a leaking home for five years, leaving a family living with mould and no working cooker.
This comes in the midst of a Labour leadership election triggered by the resignation of Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, which itself followed long-standing calls from the Liberal Democrats for him to step down over exactly these kinds of housing and leadership failures.
Commenting, Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of Southwark Liberal Democrats, said:
“Once again, Southwark Council has been called out for bad management and not listening to residents. It’s not the first time – we know there are big, long-term problems in the council and with Labour’s leadership.
No one should have to live with dirty water for over a year, or fix problems themselves because the council won’t. That’s just not good enough.
Southwark Liberal Democrats believe in a council that listens, acts, and puts residents first. We would overhaul the way repairs are handled. We’ve called for one-stop shops in every community – places people can go to report problems and get help quickly. It’s one example of how we’d make the council work for residents, not against them.”
