Clarion Housing Fire Safety Scandal: Manager Told Staff to Fake Crucial Safety Notice, Sky News Reveals
A shocking revelation has emerged about one of the UK’s biggest social landlords. A Clarion Housing manager reportedly told a staff member to fabricate a fire safety notice, according to an investigation by Sky News.
The leaked audio, recorded in 2022, allegedly captures the manager instructing an employee to stage evidence for a mandatory safety sign that had never been installed.
The employee was told to “place a blank sheet of paper on the wall and take a photo” to make it appear as though the required notice was there.
The notice itself wasn’t just any paperwork. It was meant to alert residents with disabilities or other vulnerabilities to contact Clarion so that a “person-centered fire risk assessment” could be arranged, a legal safeguard introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in 2017.
Although the discussion was reported internally in 2023, Clarion’s HR platoon didn’t start a formal inquiry until 2024, a full year later, when elderly directors eventually entered the recording.
By that time, the same director was still employed. They were dismissed before this time, nearly two times after the incident took place.
Safety specialists have since condemned the delay. Chartered surveyors told Sky News that failing to provide accurate safety information could have fatal consequences during a fire.
Clarion Housing, which manages over 125,000 homes nationwide, has long been considered a key player in the country’s affordable housing mission.
The reproach comes at a critical time, as casing associations remain under violent scrutiny to comply with post-Grenfell fire safety regulations.
The government has been pushing for less transparency and responsibility, especially from major investors assigned with structure 1.5 million new homes before the end of this Parliament.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government condemned the actions, saying: “These allegations show a total disregard for vulnerable people whose lives and safety depend on strict fire safety laws.
“We are tackling the poor treatment of social housing tenants using lessons learned from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, so it can never happen again.
“Those breaking the law can already face prosecution for criminal offenses, including prison sentences, and we’re introducing new laws so that residential personal emergency evacuation plans are required for all high-rise homes, with funding to help social landlords provide these for tenants, and ensure staff managing social housing have the skills and training to keep residents safe.”
In a statement, a Clarion Housing spokesperson said: “Clarion continues to invest heavily in maintaining and improving our homes, and as a strategic partner of Homes England, we are committed to playing our part in building safe, affordable homes that help tackle the housing crisis and give people a place they can call home.
“In 2023, our HR team received an email from a former employee raising concerns, but no supporting evidence was provided despite our request.
“When an audio recording was shared with us in September 2024, we immediately launched a full investigation, which led to the dismissal of a staff member.
“It is deeply regrettable that information was not shared sooner, as this would have enabled earlier action. Building safety remains our top priority across all Clarion homes.”
The Clarion Housing fire safety controversy has reignited debate about responsibility in the social casing sector, where compliance with life-saving regulations isn’t voluntary; it’s essential.
With trust formerly fragile after Grenfell, this rearmost case highlights just how critical transparent oversight and timely action remain.
