‘It’s time for Camden to step up and take responsibility for the dire state of their social housing stock’

• RESIDENTS of Camden have been reaching out to me in increasing numbers, over the deplorable conditions in their council homes.

Mould and damp have become a major issue, and it’s baffling that the council seems to be turning a blind-eye.

This is not just a matter of discomfort, it’s a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of the residents and a risk to the lives of children and other vulnerable friends and neighbours.

This sheds light on the council’s inability to properly manage and maintain its housing stock; instead making its tenants suffer a massive increase in rents for the second year in a row.

Rather than taking responsibility, the council has blamed the government for lack of funding. However, the truth is far from what the Labour Party is promoting.

The government’s policy of a 1 per cent annual reduction of council housing rents between 2016 and 2020, resulted in a balanced 4 per cent cut in tenants’ rents. This helped low-income households and should have helped to reduced the number of households in arrears and evictions.

The council is now pretending that the demanded, manageable central government support for those who are struggling the most is Camden’s biggest problem and should be reversed. And so, with just another massive 7 per cent hike in rents, they are ensuring tenants’ woes continue to grow.

That Camden has the third most dilapidated council homes in the UK, is not the government’s fault and it is not the fault of tenants; it is a result of the continued failure to invest in regular maintenance; and inadequate support to report mould and damp issues. All this points to the council’s negligence in providing safe and habitable housing.

And now they dare to tell us that higher rents are the only possible way to cope with mould and damp. This is not only flawed reasoning but also an insult to tenants who are paying more for the same poor-quality service.

It’s time for Camden to step up and take responsibility for the dire state of their social housing stock. Around one in five UK homes have a damp and mould problem and with 33,000 homes managed by Camden, it’s estimated that there could be as many as 6,600 affected homes in the area.

A study by Shelter UK found the average cost of repairing damp and mould in social housing is £4,000 per home, totalling £26million to fix the problem in Camden.

The 7 per cent rent increase planned for this year alone is an additional £8+million. Investing this over four years can ensure homes in the area are fit for their inhabitants. We then must build on this, investing in long-term solutions to prevent mould and damp in the future.

The council could take several measures, including regular inspections, prioritising emergency repairs, providing support and resources for tenants, implementing stricter regulations and guidelines for landlords (Camden itself is the largest landlord in the borough).

Let’s not let excuses or blame-shifting stand in the way of creating a safe and liveable community for all. Camden’s children should not have to grow up in mould-infested homes. Our neighbours should not have to suffer through the indignity of living in dilapidated homes.

MARX DE MORAIS, NW3