Cllr Georgia Gould and Michael Gove [Simon Dawson_No10 Downing Street]

THE Secretary of State for Housing sent a personal letter to the Town Hall leader saying he is “profoundly troubled” about “your failure” to make thousands of homes safe from fire.

Michael Gove singled out Georgia Gould for a scolding over a “multitude of failings” after the government’s social housing regulator warned the council was unable to ensure thousands of homes in Camden are safe to live in.

The New Journal has reported on the serious findings that said 400 “high-risk” fire safety actions were not carried out on time, including the eye-popping statistic that 9,000 council properties are not hard-wired with smoke alarms as they should be.

Magdalena Fink died in a house fire in Daleham Gardens, Belsize Park, in November 2017

Mr Gove’s letter said: “It is clear that you have continued to expose your tenants to serious potential harm from fire. This is a shocking situation … Your management of thousands of your homes has fallen below these standards, and I am deeply shocked by the gravity and sheer multitude of failings in this case.”

The letter from the Conservative frontbencher was sent out as part of a new Government policy of “naming and shaming” social landlords. This week 14 local authorities and providers – including Ealing, Hackney, Westminster and Notting Hill Genesis – got the hairdryer treatment from Mr Gove. All the other letters were sent to chief executives – Camden’s was sent directly to the council leader.

Mr Gove has been a leading figure of a Conservative Government that has consistently slashed local authority budgets, including Camden’s.

Cllr Gould hit back by defending Camden’s record on fire safety and calling on Mr Gove’s Government to “get its act together on policy, on standards and on funding”.

Cllr Gio Spinella

“The reality is Mr Gove, and his predecessors, have reduced our funds significantly over the last 13 years – we’ve been left high and dry,” said Cllr Gould.

She said the council was investing £200million in housing safety improvements and that Camden was the first to strip dangerous cladding from its tower blocks post-Grenfell, adding: “We need Government to get its act together on policy, on standards and on funding. I have invited Mr Gove to Camden to discuss directly how we can work together to improve safety for our tenants.”

Tenants have felt the brunt of the cuts to the Town Hall for years with extreme delays and routine fob-offs on housing repairs. But while a political blame game goes round and round, tenants’ lives are being put at risk.

Cllr Tom Simon

In a rare move earlier this year, the London Fire Brigade brought criminal charges against the council following the death of Magdalena Fink in a house fire in Daleham Gardens, Belsize Park, in November 2017.

Camden pleaded guilty to failings at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was fined more than £500,000. In the tragic case that cost the life of a tenant, fire detectors were not installed and combustible materials inside the block were not removed – despite two inspections calling for the important changes over four years.

The block of nine council homes had to be knocked down after the devastating fire six years ago.

Lib Dem Cllr Tom Simon, leader of the opposition in Camden, said the council “must put in place a fire safety plan that will address the outstanding actions urgently”, adding that attempts to have an extraordinary meeting about the problem had been blocked.

Conservative leader Gio Spinella added: “I would hope that all opposition parties would be able to unite in demanding Camden Labour take responsibility for this state of affairs and is prepared to speak clearly and candidly to Camden residents.”