Four year wait for replacement windows?
You may remember that recently one of us mentioned that the Council's spin is that they're renovating the Borough whilst the reality for some is very different. Well, at the last Council meeting our point was beautifully illustrated in a response the Council gave to a petition brought forward by the councillor for Woolwich Riverside, John Fahy.
The petition called on the Council to replace the windows in the sheltered accomodation block, Len Clifton House. In response the Council acknowledged that Clifton House - which is home to a signifianct number of senior citizens - was in serious need of repair. It acknowledged the window frames were "decaying", there were "visible gaps" in the ageing timber cills, and that the seals were "failing". There were also "eight softwood fire exit door" that were "decaying due to external weathering". The response concluded that remedial work would be scheduled sometime in the next four years.
We do question whether a four year maintenance window on an accepted "decaying" property marries with the Council's claim that sheltered houing is a secure and friendly environment. There's also the question of why softwood was used for external fire exit doors originally? Is it any wonder they're knackered?
The petition called on the Council to replace the windows in the sheltered accomodation block, Len Clifton House. In response the Council acknowledged that Clifton House - which is home to a signifianct number of senior citizens - was in serious need of repair. It acknowledged the window frames were "decaying", there were "visible gaps" in the ageing timber cills, and that the seals were "failing". There were also "eight softwood fire exit door" that were "decaying due to external weathering". The response concluded that remedial work would be scheduled sometime in the next four years.
We do question whether a four year maintenance window on an accepted "decaying" property marries with the Council's claim that sheltered houing is a secure and friendly environment. There's also the question of why softwood was used for external fire exit doors originally? Is it any wonder they're knackered?
posted by greenwich.watch at 7:18 am
1 Comments:
Well I have lived in my council flat for over 10 years now and each year I have been told that my block is going to have its windows replaced within the 'next year or so' the block I live in was built in 1952 and still has the metal crital framed windows that you either cannot open or have to force closed when you can actually open them!
When I and my fellow tenants question the council regarding the windows we are just told that they will be done soon and that the process of replacement windows is being dealt on an age of property basis and decided by the neigbourhood panel. This is obviousley a load of rubbish as the properties I have seen that have had their windows done are obviousley much older than the block I live in and this neighbourhood panel seems uncontactable so it does beg the question whether it actually exists or is just made up of council cronies!
I have written to the leader of the council and received back a letter which was complete twaddle, in the letter I was advised that our windows where 'robust' I did write back inviting the leader to come and see how robust they were in winter when my heating bill for a one bedroomed flat is much greater than friends who have three bedroomed houses, of course the invitation was not taken up!
To be frank, I firmly believe that the only properties that will be sorted out by the council are the ones where they can put up big signs and produce reports of in the local press to make them look better, the smaller no estate properties will just be left to rot.
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