Dangerous staircase fears halved in council houses

Newcastle City Council says the number of council homes feared to have dangerous “ranch style” staircases has fallen by more than half, after inspections and repair work cut the total from 3,332 homes to 1,250. (uk.news.yahoo.com) The council had also flagged 106 communal blocks, and says that figure is now down to 18. In the latest update, 1,612 houses first listed as possible risks were later found to contain no hazard. (uk.news.yahoo.com) The staircases are known as “ranch style” because they use horizontal bars instead of modern vertical guarding. Newcastle said that layout is treated as a category one hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System because children can climb it and risk falling or becoming trapped. (uk.news.yahoo.com; localgov.co.uk) The latest figures were reported to councillors this week, covering progress up to quarter three of the 2025/26 financial year. The council said it aimed to remove all of the remaining problem staircases by May 2026. (uk.news.yahoo.com) The staircase issue became a marker of wider housing problems after Newcastle took back direct control of about 25,000 council homes when Your Homes Newcastle was abolished in 2024. In January 2025, the council said regulators had ordered it to address “serious failings” in its social housing service. (uk.news.yahoo.com; new.newcastle.gov.uk) The council’s own review found 16 areas where services were falling short, including overdue repairs, damp and mould, stock condition data and staircase hazards. Newcastle’s 2024-2027 housing plan says council homes should be “safe” and “decent,” and the city later commissioned a full stock condition survey to check that standard property by property. (uk.news.yahoo.com; new.newcastle.gov.uk; new.newcastle.gov.uk) Housing chiefs said the share of Newcastle’s council stock classed as non-decent has dropped from 11.08% to 6.31%. Councillor Paula Maines also told cabinet that the council had reached 100% compliance on fire risk assessments, asbestos surveys, Legionella checks and lift safety. (uk.news.yahoo.com; new.newcastle.gov.uk) Repairs performance has improved too, according to the council. Emergency repairs completed on time rose from 76.8% to 88.9%, after Newcastle said it had invested £50 million in housing improvements and £33.3 million in repairs in the first year after bringing services in house. (uk.news.yahoo.com; new.newcastle.gov.uk) For tenants who were told their homes might contain one of the staircases, the latest update narrows the list but does not end the program. The council says the remaining removals are due to be finished by May, closing one of the most visible safety checks in its post-Your Homes Newcastle overhaul. (uk.news.yahoo.com; new.newcastle.gov.uk)