The Housing Enforcers
BBC ONE, 8.00PM; BBC TWO WALES, 7.00PM
“Everyone has a right to a safe place to live, no matter who you are, where you live or how much rent you pay. It’s nonnegotiable.” So concludes Matt Allwright at the end of this programme focusing on the importance of fire safety.
The format is straightforward: Allwright travels across the country meeting with housing officers and examining the myriad ways in which fires can destroy lives. What makes this really hit home, however, is the presenter’s quiet fury at the way in which some lives are considered less worthy than others. Inevitably, the shadow of Grenfell Tower hangs heavy over the hour.
It’s notable that many of those worst affected are elderly and living alone: the story of fiercely independent Ali who refuses to acknowledge, even to his family, quite how much he is struggling is particularly poignant. Allwright, however, saves his most righteous rage for the landlords squeezing tenants in wherever they can and failing to meet even the minimum health and safety standards. The result is a hard-hitting and often hard-to-watch documentary, which also offers solid advice on how to deal both with fires and bad landlords. Sarah Hughes