Shocking new figures reveal one in six homes in Southend failed to meet decent standards and are in a bad state of repair or lack modern facilities. Latest Government figures show that 16 per cent of all 78,622 occupied homes in Southend failed to meet the official decent homes standard above the 15 per cent average across the country.
The annual survey asks people about the state and quality of their housing. David Garston, councillor responsible for housing, said the council was doing what it could to remedy the problem.
We are continuing to check on properties within the private sector. I’m absolutely certain that we’re looking more at the private sector than we are at South Essex Homes and the other housing associations. A lot of pressure has been put on landlords to ensure that they are offering homes of decent standards but with the number of properties there are in the city it’s difficult to keep on top of it.
Mr Garston added: It certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed and within the resources the council has got they’re very much on top of it. We’ve got a dedicated team within housing and licensing. They do spot checks and react to complaints.
The Government’s English Housing Survey has revealed 3.6 million homes across the country were deemed non-decent because they could either pose a risk to residents’ health or life, are in a bad state of repair, are cold or lack modern facilities. The fuel poverty charity National Energy Action said lives are being ruined by cold, damp housing.
Daniel Cowan, leader of the Labour Group said the economic crisis had had an impact on housing maintenance. He said: I think we need to recognizes there has been a cost of living crisis. There has been a squeeze for over a decade for a lot of people that they’re not able to pay for the upkeep of their properties in a way they perhaps would have in the past.
Many people are just about managing to pay their mortgages and their rent. I think there is a broader point here in that the economy needs to recover. We need to get the country back on its feet so people can start investing in their properties. In terms of private rental properties this underlines why we brought in the selective licensing scheme to bring homes up to a decent standard. We think that’s working well.
