Council accused of failing tenants as 40,000 homes need work

National World - LocalTV

Thousands of Birmingham council tenants are still waiting for basic repairs, as figures show around 40,000 homes need new kitchens or bathrooms. With 70% of housing stock failing to meet the government’s own standard, we ask how it was allowed to get this bad—and whether the council’s new investment pledge will be enough.

Transcript

00:01What levelling up looks like for thousands of Brummies is rotting kitchens,

00:05crumbling bathrooms and years of being told to wait.

00:09Around seven in ten of the city's council homes

00:12file to meet the government's minimum decent home standard,

00:15a benchmark that says social housing should be in a reasonable state of repair

00:20and have modern facilities.

00:23The council now says it will spend £1.6 billion over the next seven years to sort it,

00:29a huge figure, but for those living with black mould, broken cupboards and decades old wallpaper,

00:35it's not the number that matters, it's the timeline.

00:38Some tenants have spent nearly a decade chasing the council to fix the rot.

00:43One woman said her cupboards are hanging off, there's mould under the sink and a stench of damp.

00:48She's still on the list, still waiting.

00:51Another mom said she's been calling the council every spring for almost ten years,

00:56always told of the same thing, not this year, might be next.

01:01The council admits there's been chronic underinvestment and while 6,400 homes are due upgrades this year,

01:08that leaves tens of thousands still stuck with revolting kitchens and bathrooms.

01:13Council leaders insist they're moving fast.

01:16They say rising costs, staffing issues and neglected stock surveys all added to the delay.

01:22But for residents who've waited patiently and silently for far too long,

01:27trust is threadbare and sympathy wears thin.

01:31Because it's one thing to announce a plan, it's another to actually do the work.

01:36And for people who've lived through years of false starts, apologies and vague promises,

01:41the only thing that matters now is delivery.

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