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A mum and her children were left living for months in "unacceptable conditions" after a council failed to adequately respond to damp and mould issues. A report by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, published today, also found that Flintshire County Council failed to act in a timely manner once the extent of the works needed was known. The complainant - Miss Y - complained about the way her landlord, Flintshire council , had responded to reports of damp and mould in her home and whether it had taken appropriate action to provide alternative accommodation. The investigation found that the Council failed to identify that Miss Y had made numerous repair requests regarding the same issue. Repair requests were treated in isolation. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Officers visited Miss Y’s home on numerous occasions to address new issues, whilst previous repair requests remained outstanding. As such there were many missed opportunities to identify damp and mould and carry out work to address this. The report said: "Miss Y and her children were left living in unacceptable conditions for 5 months after the Council became aware of damp in her home." Michelle Morris, the Ombudsman, said: “The failings identified in this investigation are significant. The Council missed opportunities to identify damp in Miss Y’s home sooner. When it became aware that extensive work in relation to damp was needed, it did not take timely action to secure alternative accommodation. "As a result, Miss Y and her children were left living in a home that the Council knew to be severely impacted by damp during some of the coldest months of the year. "Miss Y said that living in a home with damp and mould had led to both herself and her children suffering recurrent chest infections and that her youngest child had been diagnosed with asthma. Due to them becoming damaged by mould, Miss Y said that she had to dispose of furniture, clothing and other possessions.” The Ombudsman made several recommendations, all of which the Council accepted. These included apologising to Miss Y and providing an additional £1,258 in financial redress for the distress and the lost furniture and possessions, on top of the £500 already offered. The Council was also asked to ensure Housing and Communities officers complete paperwork accurately, contact Miss Y to confirm any outstanding work with a completion schedule, and develop processes to identify, record, and escalate repeated repair requests. Further recommendations included creating guidance for assigning Tenant Liaison Officers, developing a more specific decant policy, and reviewing procedures for conducting and recording pre-letting inspections. The Ombudsman noted that the Council has already made changes to its systems to address some of the failures identified. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
