To some reading the story it may come as abit of a shock that i would say such things about the council, or my beloved flat, but truth of the matter is, i do feel completely let down by the local council on this issue.
I think the whole thing can be summed up pretty well in the orig email i sent to the council, which has sparked this whole news story coming out in the first place....
"Hello.
I've been on the WLC website and i feel that you're the most relevant person for me to be asking about what the council is currently doing over my problem.
In 2011, I was over-joyed at getting my own council property. Since moving in I've since found out exactly how out of date some of the feature's are in this flat. I should explain that i live on Beechtree's, in the flats located at the end of the road on the left hand side.
I have found that the single glazed windows offer very little protection against the elements, they're prone to leaking and most of the seal's were missing when i first moved in, which where partly then filled in with some sort of cealent as a temp fix. I have found that despite having 3 storage heaters through the 1 bed roomed flat, i still find myself cold of an evening, even though they fully charge during the night and are kept on minimum during the day, so as to try and keep the heat for a boost of an evening when it's needed.
You can of course imagine my excitement when i receive news about how the communal area is going to be re-fitted, since the missing tiles on the floor, scuff marks up the wall and the fact that once every two weeks, someone comes out, floods the hallway and calls it clean, have resulted in mould growing, bad smells and just a general awful appearance. Then i read on in the council's news letter, to see that they were planning on removing the storage heaters, that I'd eventually be brought up to date with a boiler and a proper heating system, that most importantly, new windows would be fitted, which are double glazed.
In the December of 2012, work started taking place on the houses around here, i was impressed to see the work that had been carried out, but kept wondering when I'd hear that the flat's were going to be fixed up, under the presumption the work would be carried out while the workmen where in the area. News started getting to me about how in certain area's, people were being told that they had to have things slightly different than was first planned, because of a lack of funds, but yet, work was still carrying on around here, so it might still have been good news.
I called through to the council offices late December, to be told that the planning team were not available at the current time and could i please call back at a different date. I didn't mind, understanding that people do have to work and will sometimes become unavailable.
I left it until after the new year, because the workmen were finished here, they'd completed all the houses and for a week, the area looked abit better (Until of course window's start getting smashed and there's a return to normality for this area). I today, however, called the council offices, only to be told after waiting for the operator to get through to someone in the planning part of the council, that the money was no longer available. That during these times where it's cold and windy and while the houses here are fine with their central heating systems and double glazed windows, that in essence, the council do not have any plans for the flats on beechtree's to have any work carried out on them and that i should try and call back in the new financial year.
I'm left completely stunned by this. Since news first spread and the updates on how work was doing have been coming through, we've all been waiting for news about when we would have work carried out, yet now, the council don't even have the manner's to inform us that no work will be carried out.
Be it that it was bad finances, that not enough research was done as to how much it would all cost, or even if we were never planned for any work to get done, i feel that we are owed some sort of explanation as to why we will now be left with floor tiles missing in the hallways, windows that even when fully closed, still let in strong gusts of wind, heating systems that just can't cope with cold weather and no gas supply. I feel utterly let down by the council.
While I'm aware that work may well continue in the new financial year, I'm aware that the council now plan's to start work on the inside of people's homes, with focus on bathroom's and kitchen's, while still, we are ignored.
I feel very let down by the council at the moment and i can only express my disappointment at this news, while other's may decide to contact the council themselves, or as i presume many will, just be used to the fact that we pay our council tax, same as everyone else around here, and receive next to nothing back.
Thank you for reading.
Kevin Roberts."
Now the person who i'd written to doesn't really matter, he was the manager of housing or something like that, for the council, but it turn's out, this email was forwarded to the right person, who simply responded by saying....
"Dear Mr Roberts,
Thank you for your email below in relation to the Councils investment plans.
I’m sorry to read of, and can understand, your disappointment in relation to not being included in the recent programs.
Unfortunately, the Council has not yet agreed the investment plans in relation to the flats on Beechtrees.
I envisage the plans will be developed over the course of the next few months.
Once these have been agreed these will of course, be shared with tenants.
Kind Regards,"
So why allow the story to go into the press?
I've seen many times now in the past where the only way of dealing with the council has been for residents to take their story to the local press, it has created change. On this topic, while the money may not be available for the council to spend on the housing, it might just give them the boost they need in order to take some action, knowing residents are not happy over what has happend to them in the past, ie, being completely blanked.
This is the story that has gone into the press. To see the orig story, click here.
"Why did borough council ignore us? ask tenants.
THE council has carried out improvements to homes in Beechtrees while ignoring
the flats in the same area.
That is the view of Kevin Roberts, 24, who has a council flat in Beechtrees, and is claiming the flats have had little work done to them since they were built in the 1970s.
Mr Roberts wants the single glazed windows in his flat replaced to double glazed windows and he would like to see new boiler systems installed.
He told the champion: “The council houses near my flat have had improvements done to them, but the flats have been ignored.
”I feel completely let down by this. Since these flats were built in the 70s, they have hardly had any improvements.
“The flats need doubled glazed windows as the single glazed windows I have in my flat can be drafty and leak.”
Mr Roberts also expressed his concerns about the communal areas at the flats in Beechtrees. He added: “The communal areas are awful to look at, and have mould on the walls. They have been vandalised as well.
”We pay for the communal areas to be cleaned, but the work is only done once every two weeks and all the cleaners do is flood the hallway.“
A spokesman for the borough council responded: ”Council staff always listen to residents when they raise issues with regard to their estates.
“The council has not yet agreed any major investment plans in relation to the flats on Beechtrees. These plans are being developed and we will be liaising closely with tenants to identify the best options.”"
That is the view of Kevin Roberts, 24, who has a council flat in Beechtrees, and is claiming the flats have had little work done to them since they were built in the 1970s.
Mr Roberts wants the single glazed windows in his flat replaced to double glazed windows and he would like to see new boiler systems installed.
He told the champion: “The council houses near my flat have had improvements done to them, but the flats have been ignored.
”I feel completely let down by this. Since these flats were built in the 70s, they have hardly had any improvements.
“The flats need doubled glazed windows as the single glazed windows I have in my flat can be drafty and leak.”
Mr Roberts also expressed his concerns about the communal areas at the flats in Beechtrees. He added: “The communal areas are awful to look at, and have mould on the walls. They have been vandalised as well.
”We pay for the communal areas to be cleaned, but the work is only done once every two weeks and all the cleaners do is flood the hallway.“
A spokesman for the borough council responded: ”Council staff always listen to residents when they raise issues with regard to their estates.
“The council has not yet agreed any major investment plans in relation to the flats on Beechtrees. These plans are being developed and we will be liaising closely with tenants to identify the best options.”"
I can't wait to see if this pushes the council into carrying out the work, which is in need of doing.
There's been pictures taken of the flat which i live in, along with some of the communal area's, which show the state it's been left in and continues to be in. So yes, i'll be posting updates on here to let you all know if there's been any changes since this made it into the news.
My response to all of this? We shouldn't have been left, with no updates and just no news about the fact that we appear to have been ignored off every list of properties to have work carried out and for no reason. We are left with storage heaters which are an expensive and awful way at trying to provide heating for the flat, the single glazed windows are a nightmare and living in this day and age without a gas supply, when the house nextdoor has one, is crazy. We have been let down upto now and i'll be the one to say it (as per the usual).
This story has only been put into the public domain to try and make change happen.
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