Dudley Council's housing chiefs have defended spending nearly £1 million on consultants to ensure homes meet safety standards, arguing the cost is justified to avoid dire consequences.
Committee Debates Consultant Costs
At a meeting of the Housing and Assets Scrutiny Committee on July 14, councillors discussed the decision to hire external experts after the council received regulatory notices for breaches of housing legislation. The total cost of consultants amounts to £805,000 plus VAT, which Dudley's cabinet member for development and regulation, Councillor Daniel Bevan, described as money well spent.
Councillor Bevan said: "The decision was taken to secure specialist building safety and compliance expertise while the council was still dealing with significant regulatory requirements. This isn't consultancy for convenience, it is a time limited and necessary intervention to maintain continuity, meet regulatory demands, support tenant safety and fill a gap in expertise while we move towards a stronger and more permanent operating model."
Regulatory Background
The first regulatory notices on buildings were issued to Dudley Council in April 2023. At that time, the council faced serious issues including 8,000 outstanding fire risk assessments, 4,004 outstanding domestic electrical safety checks, and 18,284 non-compliant smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. All outstanding issues have now been resolved apart from seven electrical safety tests, which are in properties where tenants are not allowing council officers access.
A report signed by Kathryn Jones, Dudley group director of housing and assets, stated: "The council has moved from a position of identified issues to one of demonstrable control, strengthened assurance, and improving outcomes."
National Context
The committee was told that around 70 percent of local authorities have been affected by changes in the law relating to housing standards, and there is a significant shortage of experts to ensure compliance with new legislation. Councillor Bevan added: "I welcome scrutiny but my view is the risk of not securing these skills was significantly greater than the cost of doing it."
The council's decision to spend nearly £1 million on consultants has been defended as a necessary step to protect tenant safety and meet regulatory demands, with officials emphasizing that the alternative could have led to far worse outcomes.
