Politics & Council · Bristol
Bristol City Council fails to verify gas safety in thousands of homes
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
Internal auditors have raised serious concerns after Bristol City Council lost track of gas safety records for its 28,000 council properties following an IT migration.
Bristol City Council has been unable to confirm which of its 28,000 council homes have passed essential gas safety checks, according to a damning report presented to the authority’s audit committee this week. The lapse has left the council unable to verify the compliance status of housing stock that serves approximately 64,000 residents.
The failures emerged following the implementation of a new housing IT software system around a year ago. Internal auditors found that data regarding gas boiler servicing, alongside smoke and carbon monoxide alarm tests, failed to align with previous manual records. As a result, the council currently lacks a comprehensive, verified list of properties supplied by gas, making it impossible to determine the scale of potential safety gaps.
The audit investigation resulted in a rating of 'limited assurance', the second-lowest grade possible. Auditors stated that the lack of retained evidence prevented them from confirming the accuracy of compliance figures reported for the 2025/26 period. A consultant representing the internal audit team told committee members that the findings pointed to a fundamental weakness in corporate governance and risk management.
Addressing the audit committee on Tuesday, September 29, the council’s executive director for housing, David McNulty, stated that the authority is working to rectify the situation. He informed councillors that the new IT system, which was not fully operational when the data issues first occurred, has now been fully implemented. He added that the council has made progress in addressing the specific high-priority findings raised by the auditors.
Local councillors have expressed concern regarding the findings. Cllr Lisa Stone, representing Windmill Hill, welcomed the transparency of the audit report but emphasised that the situation underscores an urgent need for heightened scrutiny of gas safety protocols across the city's council housing estate.
The council now faces the task of verifying the safety status of its properties to ensure that residents are not at risk, though the report highlights that significant gaps in retained evidence remain a critical concern.
Source: Bristol Post · View original