In the next instalment of our Meet the Team series, we introduce Wayne Frost, whose extensive experience in housing health and safety has been key to the success of delivering comprehensive inspection programmes for our Local Authority partners. In this interview, Wayne shares his journey to becoming Inspections Programme Manager, discusses the vital role his team plays in supporting Local Authorities, and highlights how their combined efforts are improving housing standards for tenants.

The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 from an acute respiratory condition, caused by exposure to black mould in his Rochdale home, highlighted the urgent need for better housing conditions. In response, government guidance on damp and mould for both social and private sector landlords, as well as Local Authorities, has been updated to address these preventable hazards.

A common historic complaint from private sector landlords about the use by Local Authorities of Selective Licensing in regulating the PRS was that the councils took the licensing fees from landlords, good and bad, and then fined any landlords who’d not applied for a licence but did little else to improve matters. Effectively, a licensing scheme was just a way to impose a ‘tax’ on landlords.

As part of our Meet the Team series, we introduce Mike Brook, whose extensive experience at Leeds City Council has uniquely equipped him to understand the challenges Local Authorities face. Here, he shares insights into his background, his role at Home Safe, and how we are supporting Local Authorities in addressing mounting pressures to improve housing standards across the sector.

Gas Safety Week 2024 (9th to 15th September) is upon us with this year’s theme being “Every [gas safety] Check Counts” as Gas Safe Register’s “latest inspection data reveals 1 in 5 UK homes have an unsafe gas appliance.” Gas Safe Register is the only official gas registration body for gas businesses and gas engineers in the UK and operates on behalf of the Health & Safety Executive.