Severe Maladministration in Housing. Again.

We are used to the mayor and her paid supporters blaming everything on the previous administration, even now. Let’s see how they spin this.

On 11th June 2018, a new tenant moved into a Newham property, that is a month after the new mayor had taken office.

About a year later the tenant filed a complaint about mould in the property. In August 2019 LBN filed a report on damp and mould in the property. Over the next two years, LBN did some repairs to a water leak, but nothing with regard to the mould.

Readers will recall the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, a two-year old, who died as a result of “prolonged exposure to mould” in the flat in December 2020. In October 2021 the office of the Housing Ombudsman published a report stating that “damp and mould should be a high priority for landlords and they should take a zero-tolerance approach; be proactive in identifying potential problems; extend investigations to other properties in a block; and clearly communicate to residents about actions.”

Newham failed on every count. 

The complainant’s family were treated shabbily. These are the orders and recommendations from the ombudsman.

An embarrassment for the mayor and Cllr Mohammed. A serious situation which threatened the health of the tenants. A housing and repairs team that have lost all sense of priority and urgency when it comes to the conditions that their tenants are living in.

Will anybody be held to account? Somehow, we doubt it.

You can read the full ombudsman report here.