Tenants in housing block feel 'failed' by council

Tenants in a block of council homes said they were being "failed" after a regulator identified serious issues with the service.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), a government watchdog, inspected East Suffolk Council in its role as a landlord and said it had "serious failings".

Issues were raised over the standard of homes as well as damp and mould, but the council said it was addressing this.

Natasha Robinson, 47, has lived in a block of East Suffolk Council homes in Lowestoft for the past three years and says it is "horrendous".

"It's just not very nice to live in, there's anti-social behaviour, no security, many things," she said.

Ms Robinson said she had struggled to get her broken window panes replaced for two years and the main gate into the block was broken - which posed a security risk. She said as a result she was often calling the police.

"I don't think families should be put here," she added. "The stuff my kid has to deal with is just not right.

"They just don't care. They don't have the funds maybe to do what it is we need doing."

Shauni Stannard, 32, lives with her three children in the same block and felt the conditions were "quite poor".

"They give [the block] a deep clean once a month, but that is them coming around with just a brush and brushing away the dirt and dust," she explained.

"They haven't cleaned the walls; you can't bring too many people here because as you come up the walls it looks like people have put poo, paint, mud, dirt, it's all on the walls.

"They don't get a proper clean."

She was not surprised by the RSH report and said the tenants had been "failed".

Andrew Fisher, 33, has also lived in the block for the past five years with his partner and their four children.

"The conditions just aren't really good enough," he felt.

"It's filled with asbestos that they were supposed to have [removed] last year; they are now doing it at the end of the six weeks' holiday apparently when they're going to put us into temporary accommodation.

"It's not cleaned, they're supposed to come up and clean it all.

"My partner actually cleans most of it which we're told we're not allowed to do, but we have to because it's disgusting.

"It's not a very nice place at all."

Peter Byatt, leader of the Labour group at East Suffolk Council, said it was a "wake up call" to ensure tenants were being focused on and received the "best they could get".

He encouraged residents to come forward and ask for support.

Asked what he thought had gone wrong, Byatt said: "I think it's maybe communication in terms of tenants realising that it's not something they're going to get slapped on the wrist about for not looking after council property properly because that's not what it's about.

"It's about making sure they get the best and those council houses are our assets, we need to make sure they are in the best condition they can be for our tenants and future tenants."

David Beavan, an Independent councillor who is cabinet member for housing, said the council was "incredibly disappointed", but was "entirely committed to addressing" the issues raised.

"Over the last few months, we have been able to appoint additional capacity to key roles, with further recruitment planned over the coming weeks," he added.

"We are committed to improving the services and quality of homes we deliver to tenants."

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