Reporting from The Tandridge Independent brought to the fore the shocking conditions residents in Blize Court and Manorview Court, Whyteleafe, were living in.
L&Q, the housing association, have been aware of the conditions for two and a half years and done nothing. I've seen the condition of the blocks for myself and there was a smell of rotting flesh in the electrical switchboard and bin rooms, the stairs to the blocks were covered in blood from the rats.
Alongside this, residents with accessibility needs were unable to get to their homes because the lifts weren't working because the rats were chewing the wiring.
I raised a question at Tandridge District Council's Full Council meeting on 8 February and asked:
Reporting from The Tandridge Independent this month has raised awareness of the torrid conditions residents in Blize Court and Manorview Court in Whyteleafe are living in as a result of a rat infestation. Residents have had damage done to their cars. They are scared to use the lifts to get to their homes; instead having to use the concrete staircase. And one young resident had the traumatic experience of a rat falling on her head.
Residents have repeatedly tried to raise their concerns with their housing association L&Q, and they have loudly ignored them. Members will agree with me that this is unacceptable.
No one in our community should be living in these squalid conditions. This proves to be yet another case where remote housing associations are not looking after residents in our district.
What steps are this Council going to take to ensure that L&Q address the infestation at Blize Court and Manorview Court? And will this Council hold Housing Associations to account and ensure that residents in their properties live in decent, adequate housing free of mould and infestations?
Cllr Jackie Wren answered the question as Chairman of the Community Services Committee and said,
"Our Environmental Health Service received a complaint about rats and the bins being full at these properties shortly after Christmas. Officers take these matters very seriously and contacted the housing association, L&Q, who instructed their pest control contractor to attend and carry out treatments.
During the Christmas holiday period refuse collections were not made on the usual dates but refuse was collected on the dates scheduled during this time, and collections have now returned to their normal days.
As part of their investigation, the Environmental Health Officers visited the properties on the 15th of January and I’m pleased to report that at that time, there was no evidence of rats or overflowing bins at the time of their visit, and they also observed that rodent bait boxes were in place. The Officers will continue to work with L&Q to ensure that this site is being monitored by their pest control contractor until the rodent matter is resolved.
Tenants who are concerned about mould growth in their homes should contact their service provider or landlord in the first instance to give them the opportunity to deal directly with the matter. If they fail to act within reasonable period of time, they can report it then to the Environmental Health Service who will investigate.
However, Councillor O’Driscoll you have sent me some pictures recently taken at the site that show that the bin storage areas continue to be overflowing and they look a health hazard to me, bearing in mind some of the stuff that had been put around the bins I would not have thought very safe to be around a bin area, so I am going to forward those to the Environmental Health and request they return to do another site visit as quickly as they can and if need be, if it is still like that when they attend, that they get back in touch with L&Q."
I followed up by asking if the Council will commit to sending an Environmental Health Officer to Blize Court and Manorview Court, and if the findings were the same as what I found, will a long overdue enforcement notice be served?
Cllr Wren said, "I will personally get Environmental Health to go back to those premises and have a look, and see what the situation is as of now, rather than back in January, and if the findings are the same, if they can take measures to get L&Q to make that a safe environment for the people there, and, if need be, we can instruct them to put a notice on L&Q that they have to make that whole premises habitable."
Since the meeting, I am pleased to confirm that Environmental Health have visited and have asked L&Q to take steps to rectify the infestation.