Housing bosses have again been urged to put an end to the continuing “scandal” of broken lifts tormenting elderly residents living in some of Newcastle’s tallest buildings.
Elderly people living in council housing blocks across the city have complained regularly since last year of repeated breakdowns that have left them stranded. Residents at Shieldfield House, in Shieldfield, were left dismayed last weekend when a notice appeared telling them that one of the high-rise building’s two lifts would be out of action until May.
While Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) now says that the necessary repairs should in fact now be carried out next week, the mechanical failures have become a constant source of frustration. Suzanne Smeaton, whose 90-year-old mother Susannah lives on the block’s 13th floor, said the situation is “like something out of a Carry On film” and has left her so fed up that she now plans to move her mum out of the building instead of risking her becoming “housebound” every time the lifts break.
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She added: “The lift comes on for an hour or two and then it goes off again. And the one that is working has been coughing and spluttering, God knows how long that has got left.”
During last summer’s heatwave, both of Shieldfield House’s lifts failed and bottled water had to be brought to residents who were trapped outside in the sweltering temperatures. The 1960s-built tower is the third tallest building in the city, with 26 storeys, and provides social housing for the over-50s.
But it is far from the only site affected by lift problems since Newcastle City Council switched to a new repairs contractor last year – with residents in blocks including The Spinney, in Heaton, and Cruddas Park House, in the West End, also suffering. Ouseburn councillor Gareth Kane warned this week that the situation was “becoming, increasingly, a bit of a scandal”.
The Liberal Democrat told a full council meeting on Wednesday: “During the massive heatwave in the summer, both lifts [at Shieldfield House] failed. Residents were locked outside and we had to get bottled water shipped to them. The lifts have been erratic ever since and we have recently been told that one will be off until May.”
Jen Vinton, YHN’s group director of housing services, apologised for the disruption but clarified that the Shieldfield House breakdown would be fixed next week. She said: “Following attendance of a lift breakdown on Sunday January 29, Newcastle City Council appointed lift contractor, RJ Lifts, identified a part that needs replacing and has left one lift out of service until this work is completed to ensure customer safety. The repair is booked for the week commencing Monday 6 February, with the second lift fully operational for customers to use.
“We have emergency plans in place should there be a failure of both lifts, with the key priority being support to vulnerable customers. We know how inconvenient and distressing it can be for our customers when there are issues with lifts, and we can assure residents of Shieldfield House and all of our properties in the city that we are working closely with Newcastle City Council and RJ Lifts to monitor contract performance.”
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Lib Dem Doreen Huddart raised concerns about lifts being out of order if the country is hit by power cuts.
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