A mum living in a mouldy council house has won a three-year fight for a new roof. The council had carried out work to temporarily fix the solution but the mould kept returning.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the only long term solution is to get a new roof fitted, an issue it says it is working urgently on. The work had previously been delayed 'until 2027', but StokeonTrentLive intervened in the dispute, bringing the work forward.
Speaking to the paper, Laura Clarke said: “I just want them to get my roof done and fix my problem. The ceiling is arched and there is water in there. If they fixed the roof then this wouldn't keep happening. They had said they were not doing the roof until 2027.
“I want them to stop closing the case and instead fix the problems once-and-for-all. I pay my rent, we expect the jobs to be done. If we withheld our rent we'd be in trouble but if they don’t do their job it’s fine."
The 37-year-old lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a two-bed semi built in 1937. Laura is also planning to become a foster parent soon.
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The family home is currently being assessed to see if it is suitable for fostering but the Laura is worried that the home will not meet the criteria. Laura added: “They’re not fixing the problem. I’m concerned, not just for my own children, but this child as well.
“They shouldn’t give standards to private landlords that they do not keep to themselves. I’m going through the process of being ignored and palmed off. It’s not good enough. It’s disgusting.”
A council spokesman said: “We have previously carried out repairs to the guttering and in the loft space and we have worked very closely with Ms Clarke to remedy the problem. However, the only satisfactory long-term practical solution is to bring forward some planned investment works and to renew the roof to Ms Clarke’s property, and to an adjacent property, as a matter of urgency.
“When the roof renewal is complete we will undertake some bespoke works to improve the thermal efficiency of the property and we are confident that this will remedy the issues Ms Clarke has been experiencing.”
