Industry News
Family of seven left to live in a one bedroom flat by Bromley council
B
romley Council in south east London has agreed to pay a family £6,000 aſter it did not do enough to help them when they
were threatened with homelessness, following a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation. Te family of seven were given an eviction notice
by their landlord in July 2019 and the council accepted it had a duty to the family in September. However, the family was not evicted by their landlord because of the COVID-19 restrictions and they were not offered more suitable interim accommodation until November 2020. Tat same month the council accepted its main
housing duty to the family and in December added them to the housing register, backdated to late August 2019. Prior to the claimant, ‘Mr B’ complaining to the
Ombudsman, the council had already apologised and made a £4,000 payment to acknowledge the time the family had spent in unsuitable accommodation. Te Ombudsman’s investigation commended
the council’s early offer to the family in recognition of its faults. However, it also found the council did not do enough to ascertain the family was living in overcrowded circumstances, or consider early enough whether the family needed interim accommodation. Had it done so it is likely it would have found the family homeless, eligible and in priority need.
The Ombudsman’s investigation commended the council’s early offer to the family in recognition of its faults. However, it also found the council did not do enough to ascertain the family was living in overcrowded circumstances,
Instead it took 13 months too long to do this. Mr B said the council’s failings placed his family under a high level of stress as his children (aged between six months and eight years) were sleeping in the hall and kitchen due to the lack of space, the report said Te investigation also found the council did
not review its prevention duty or the personalised housing plan until the man complained, or have any consideration as to whether the family’s living conditions enabled them to enjoy a family life under the Human Rights Act. Michael King, Local Government and Social Care
Ombudsman, said: “Because of the lack of action by the council in this case, a family of seven had to live in a single bedroom flat for more than a year longer than they should have. Tat this happened during the first lockdown, when people’s movements were significantly restricted, can have only increased the distress they felt. “While I am pleased the council has already gone
some way to remedying the injustice to the family, I have asked it to pay a further £2,000 to acknowledge the effect such a degree of overcrowding will have had on the family. I hope the changes the council will also make to the way it deals with homeless issues will ensure other people are not put in the same situation.” Te Local Government and Social Care
Ombudsman’s role is to remedy injustice and share learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise and pay the family £6,000 for having to remain in overcrowded conditions for so long. Te Ombudsman has the power to make
recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council should evidence how it will ensure all relevant staff are aware of their responsibilities in relation to assessing homeless applicants.
Gravesham Council to deliver carbon savings through retrofitting of heat pumps
Work has started on installing ground source heat pumps at two of Gravesham Borough Council’s housing developments, as part of the authority’s work towards achieving net-zero status by 2030. Boreholes are being drilled at Merston Court
and Hermitage Road, in Gravesend, Kent, ahead of the installation of the pumps, which are predicted to save almost 36 tonnes of carbon over the next 20 years and reduce energy bills for residents. Te introduction of a ground source heat pump
in 11 properties in Hermitage Court is expected to see a saving of 24 tonnes of carbon over 20 years, while at Merston Court, ground source heat pumps in 5 retrofitted properties will see 13.67 tonnes of carbon saved over the same period. Councillor Jenny Wallace, Gravesham Borough
Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing Services, said: “Our independent living homes at Merston
Court currently rely on electric storage heaters, which are inefficient, expensive to run and have reached the end of their lives, while the flats at Hermitage Road have gas boilers. “Ground source heat pumps are a tried and
tested technology here in the UK. Tese new ground source heat pumps will improve the energy efficiency ratings of all these homes and significantly reduce their carbon footprint, and bring real financial benefits for our tenants.” Te work comes at the same time as the news
that more than 350 homes owned by the council will have their energy efficiency improved aſter the authority successfully applied for more than £800,000 from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Te council is one of only two in Kent to
successfully apply to the fund and will receive a grant of £823,337. Gravesham will contribute £800,170 to the project, meaning a total of
12 | HMMJune/July 2022 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
£1,623,507 will be spent on upgrading the energy performance of 364 council-owned properties in the Borough in 2022/23. Councillor Wallace said: “We are doing all we
can to upgrade our council-owned homes and help us towards our net-zero target. Te installation of these new ground source heat pumps will bring real benefits for the environment and our residents alike.” Stuart Gasden, Commercial Director of Kensa,
said: “We are delighted to be working with Gravesham to install ground source heat pumps at Merston Court and Hermitage Road. Te project’s success is a result of close collaboration between the council, its residents and Kensa and will significantly reduce carbon emissions and positively impact residents’ lives. We look forward to developing our partnership with the council and installing this technology at further locations around Gravesham.”
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