Leicester Conservatives have today condemned the city’s Labour-run council after the Regulator of Social Housing issued it with a damning C3 grade, one of the worst ratings available, confirming serious and dangerous failings in how council homes are managed.
Cllr Hemant Rae Bhatia, Leader of the Leicester Conservatives, said the inspection exposed Labour’s long-term neglect of basic housing responsibilities and warned that residents have been left in unsafe conditions while Labour looked the other way.
The regulator’s report confirms that:
- Leicester City Council has not carried out a full condition survey since 2009
- Over 70% of council homes have never had an electrical safety test
- The council is unable to prove its homes are free from dangerous hazards, including asbestos
- Oversight from councillors and officers has been weak, and many tenants were left without basic repairs, updates or accountability
The regulator made clear that Labour only acted after being exposed. That pattern: denial, delay, then panic, reflects a deeper systemic failure at City Hall.
Cllr Bhatia said:
“This is another scandal to add to Labour’s growing list. It’s more evidence of what happens when a council stops listening. For years, residents were ignored, left in the dark, and put at risk. Labour’s City Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Housing only acted when they got caught.
This is the same arrogance that’s dragging Leicester down in housing, in social care, in community services and right across council services.
This Labour administration is not fit to run Leicester. It’s time they stepped aside for people who will do the job properly.”
Despite knowing about many of the failings in advance, Labour’s administration failed to act. Once again, no one has resigned, no one has taken responsibility.
Leicester Conservatives are demanding:
- A statutory intervention by the Secretary of State and the appointment of independent commissioners to take over housing oversight at Leicester City Council
- Immediate resignations from Labour’s Deputy Mayor for Housing, Cllr Elly Cutkelvin and the senior officers responsible
- Full publication of all safety records, risk assessments and complaint data, with no more hiding behind the process
Cllr Bhatia added:
“This council is broken. Labour built a system that protects itself instead of the people it’s meant to serve. We’re fighting for a council that answers to residents, not party bosses. Labour have failed. We will fix it.”
