The Classification Game: Why ‘Extra Care’ Isn’t ‘Care’
Iain Cox, Chairman of the Business Sprinkler Alliance (BSA), continues to press the case for a fundamental rethink of how fire safety regulations treat housing for...
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A Sky News investigation has revealed that a manager at Clarion Housing encouraged an employee to falsify a fire safety notice in one of the housing association’s buildings.
In a leaked phone call recording from 2022, a person that Sky News has identified as a manager can be heard advising an employee to put a fire safety notice “on a plain bit of wall” and “take a picture”, adding, "I'm trying to help you hit your targets.”
The notice related to “person-centred fire risk assessments” advising vulnerable or disabled residents to contact Clarion to make them aware of their status for fire safety reasons.
It is intended to identify residents who are at higher risk from fire in their own accommodation. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as cognitive or decision-making difficulties, the use of petroleum or paraffin-based creams for medical conditions or reduced ability to escape from a fire due to mobility issues.
The conversation was reported to Clarion’s Human Resources team in September 2023, but the investigation only reached Clarion’s management team a year later, when an investigation took place. The manager in question was dismissed in summer 2025.
Clarion told Sky News that "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."
Picture: a photograph of a person holding a ring binder and writing on a piece of paper. Two fire extinguishers can be seen in the background. Image Credit: Adobe Stock
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 23 October 2025
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