People were put at 'substantial or intolerable' risk of fire at their flats due to a 'systemic failure' at Stockport Homes, leaving the housing firm's top boss 'horrified'. The revelations came to light following a report commissioned after serious fire safety concerns emerged at four blocks at Lancashire Hill in Stockport.
Fire Safety Failures at Lancashire Hill
In January 2026, Stockport Homes Group (SHG) announced it was investigating serious fire safety issues at four blocks in the Lancashire Hill area. That same month, two fires broke out. The concerns became so acute that a 24-hour watch team was deployed to ensure resident safety.
SHG, a housing association owned by Stockport Council, manages the estate. Issues raised included 'the absence of fire doors in key locations', problems with ventilation systems, and a change in evacuation protocol from 'stay put' to 'simultaneous evacuation' in the event of an incident.
Residents expressed fear of a 'catastrophe', with some saying they had lost all faith in their landlord and were living in fear. SHG assured that safety was an 'absolute priority' and repairs were underway.
Report Findings and Systemic Issues
A report by Arcus Consulting, presented at a housing scrutiny meeting at Stockport Town Hall on June 11, revealed a self-referral to the social housing regulator in December 2025. It was discovered that 648 fire risk assessment (FRA) actions had been marked as 'completed' when the full work required had not been delivered. This occurred over a year, leading to a £5 million backlog.
The report highlighted that necessary works were not added to the planned programme, and there was a 'lack of clarity' about what needed to be done. This prompted changes in evacuation procedures and the deployment of a 24-hour team to mitigate risks until a new fire system was installed.
Arcus found that the backlog of issues took up to three years to finish, and evidence needed to sign off tasks was unclear. It stated: 'Quality assurance and governance exist on paper but is not consistently understood or evidenced in practice.' The report also noted that 'remedial works slip beyond deadlines and repeat year-on-year issues' and fire risk actions 'were not consistently completed, resulting in clear regulatory non-compliance and self-referral'.
Other performance markers were not independently validated, and governance and assurance were not properly executed, nor were issues escalated.
Response from Stockport Homes and Council
Despite the issues, the report noted that interviews from February and March 2026 suggested 'a shared sense that the organisation is now in a much stronger and more positive place compared with 2025'. SHG and the council were praised for a 'more transparent tone' in addressing issues.
Several recommendations were made for improvement, but the housing association was commended for acting 'quickly to implement appropriate mitigations and established clear plans for the completion of the required works'. The report said these measures 'will help minimise the risk of human error and will strengthen Stockport Homes Group's position'.
Political Reaction
At the June 11 meeting, Councillor James Frizzell slammed the 'systemic failure' and the 'couple of hundred thousand pounds' cost of the 24-hour watch needed to keep people safe. He said the situation was serious and past reports back to councillors were 'nonsense', adding: 'I feel that that money which has been wasted by the organisation is supposed to be looking after those residents.'
He told top bosses: 'I feel like there should be a bit more contrition because this is people's lives', and noted that 'over time, these residents' safety was becoming compromised and there was no alarm bells going off.'
In response, Chief Executive Carmel Chambers, who has been with SHG since 2006, said: 'Health and safety and life and death is absolutely paramount', adding: 'We were horrified, the members of the management team, when we found out about this.'
She described the situation as 'the worst place you could possibly be as a housing provider', explaining that because the previous year's assessment hadn't been complete, the risk increased to 'substantial or intolerable'. Chambers apologised wholeheartedly and assured that everything is being done to make safety a top priority, with a raft of improvements already made.
The meeting also discussed a report on a request by Totally Stockport, a business-led body, to increase their levy and run a poll of local businesses. Councillor Micheala Meikle said the levy was good value for money and helped increase business exposure in the town.
