London Borough of Islington Council is being investigated over damp and mould complaints that could indicate a more widespread failing by the council, as a landlord, to properly deal with such complaints.

Two new complaints relating to Islington Council were received by the Ombudsman's office which were assessed as "high Risk". However, because 4 prior Ombudsman findings of maladministration against islington were made between April 2021 and March 2022 the concern is that the new complaints are evidence that the council may not have satisfactorily got to grips with the issue. The 4 maladministration findings concerned 5 complaints of damp, mould and leaks.

The Ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, said "Under the circumstances, I have instructed my team to expedite these investigations .... Other cases with us concern similar issues and may indicate repeated failing. That is why we are conducting a further investigation".

Quoted in Local Government Lawyer, Cllr. Una O'Halloran, Executive Member for Homes and Communities at islington Council, said "We know that in some cases, we have fallen short of the high standards our residents deserve ..... We're also investing an extra £1 million to recruit specialist surveyors, and to pay for more insulation and ventilation to tackle damp and mould". She also said that training was being developed for non-specialist housing staff to identify damp and mould issues when visiting a property in relation to other issues and that the council would be reviewing all damp and mould cases going back 3 years and contacting the relevant tenants to make sure the issue was resolved.

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