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The Cwh Nightmare Continues

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THE CITY WEST NIGHTMARE CONTINUES – 25 more ‘nightmare’ stories Westminster City Council’s decision to scrap City West Homes and bring it in-house has been welcomed across the city by tenants and leaseholders. The Labour Group’s year-long campaign on behalf of Westminster’s 22,000 tenants and leaseholders has been totally vindicated. This latest dossier of 25 more ‘nightmare’ stories exposes the scale of the task ahead for Westminster Council. As does this tale of misery suffered by a resident of the Hallfield Estate https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/i-showered-leisure-centre-six- 15252793 This, together with two more reports from Labour Councillors, shows the depths to which City West Homes’ performance has sunk. Churchill Ward Councillor Shamim Talukder says: “There is a family in St George's Square, Tachbrook ward, their ceiling partly collapsed for over 3 months now and they get showered every time it rains. CWH only just approved the job to be done this week, upon my intervention!” And Harrow Road Councillor Guthrie McKie reports: “Another CWH case yesterday. 74 year-old woman been without heating since August on the Lydford Estate” The hard work now begins and Labour Councillors will continue the fight for a more effective, efficient and resident-focussed housing service. The Council Director of Housing has already acknowledged that there is a very big job to do. She told the Council Cabinet: “So, whilst all efforts will be to maintain service delivery if not improve it over the next six months, I would be the first to acknowledge that we will need another six months after that, of hard work, to get those services organised and delivering at a level that you and your residents would expect.” You can read Labour’s proposals for improving Westminster’s housing service here https://labourwestminster.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/cwh-review-westminster-labour- submission.pdf Nightmare Number 1 Ashby Court, Wharncliffe Gardens Mr A has been waiting for over 3 months to have the broken fan in his toilet repaired. He was promised someone would call round between 8am - 2pm today. Nobody came or called to say they would not be coming. Nightmare Number 2 Ilbert Street, Queen’s Park On Tuesday 4th September I reported to your out of hours teams a possible leak from the flat above ours in Ilbert Street. I spoke to someone who said that if the water wasn’t pouring through the ceiling it wasn’t an emergency, but he would make a report for the engineers to visit the property. He also promised that someone would call. I have attached a photo of a large brown stain that has recently appeared, probably caused by a leaking radiator valve although I am not certain. Although this might not be an emergency the damage to our decoration will continue to worsen until this problem is fixed. Over the past few years we have had a leak from a washing machine hose pipe, a leaking boiler, backed up waste water due to a frozen waste pipe and now this through the ceiling of the upstairs flat, each time causing a huge amount of damage. It is a very difficult situation for leaseholders in this position and it is a pity that you do not make your tenants responsible for making CityWest aware of these problems in a timely way. Nightmare Number 3 Page Street, Pimlico Our residents booked Grosvenor Hall tonight for a meeting. When we arrived there was no lighting, no toilet paper and no handtowels. If you are going to book out during the day and evening maybe your staff should check facilities. Nightmare Number 4 Ilbert Street, Queen’s Park I am a tenant living in Ilbert Street and have been trying for several months to get outstanding jobs and replacement windows in my flat. They are metal casement windows around 50 years old that were installed when they converted the houses into flats. My kitchen window leaks when it rains and I have video evidence catching water in a bowl as it pours in. A surveyor came out to have a look on 8th August, I called today to find out what is happening as I have heard nothing from them and was told no report has been done yet. Almost a month has gone by and the weather is changing into autumn now and I'm worried for my health and it's difficult to afford to heat my home. I am on benefits so have limited funds. The windows let in a lot of draught so I get very cold in winter. I recently had a level access shower fitted by Able2 in my bathroom but in the winter the condensation from the shower forms ice inside the window and it's freezing in there, everything is damp. At the back of my flat there is a virginia creeper plant growing from the property next door and it blocks the hot water vent from the flat above. I have called CityWest about this several times but nothing has been done and I'm worried about the lady living there and carbon monoxide seeping back into the flat as the vent is completely covered in the creeper - it's stuck to the wall like glue. I had a flood in my kitchen from blocked drains and sewage water all over my kitchen. It took 4 months to get it replaced by CityWest. After it was finished the gaps for the joints were huge and couldn't be filled and they put the new floor straight over the top of the old one without levelling it first and I can feel grit underneath when I walk. The surveyor that came out said it would be replaced but again I have heard nothing. it's a constant battle to get anything done with CityWest homes. I would appreciate some advice. Nightmare Number 5 Ashbridge Street, Church Street I live in Ashbridge Street with my two children and husband. Since Tuesday, due to a leak coming from upstairs, we have had our electricity switched off as the electric's cupboard was filling with water. City west homes has given us an option to stay in a hotel in Wembley. We did stay there on Friday and Saturday but had to come back Sunday night as Monday morning the children had to be at school. Since last week I have been asking to be put in any vacant property near me so that we can cope during this situation which in no aspect was any of our fault. My children are suffering as they are either in a flat without lights, fridge etc or in a hotel room. We are all very sad and frustrated. The leak started a long time ago, and I have been regularly calling the council explaining that I have been getting water from the ceiling and the bathroom started disintegrating. The kitchen and hallway followed and I kept calling and reporting. The walls, door and flooring got destroyed as the leak goes inside the door and through the wall. City west homes, despite me insisting that there is a leak from upstairs, decided to fit a dehumidifier. In the meantime they did find out that there was indeed a leak, but the answer I have been getting is that the flat upstairs belongs to a leaseholder and that they cannot do anything about that. They asked me to knock on the neighbour’s door and ask him to do something about it. As many times as I knocked I did not get a response. In the meantime, we kept and keep on living in damp, mould and recently without electricity. I am asking in despair as a mother who is seeing their children upset and does not know who to address anymore. Nightmare Number 6 Westminster North I’m in a wheelchair. I’m on my own. The kitchen taps are damaged and I can’t get myself a drink. Also, I can’t open the kitchen cupboard as the door’s jammed. Now I’ve got no hot water. I have to wash in cold water. Just over a week ago the engineer called and said a new part is needed in the tank. Just now, as I hadn’t heard anything, I called the repairs line and after waiting a long time to get through and after explaining my situation to several people I was asked to hold on and I was cut off. I have had enough!! Please, please can you do something about this? Nightmare Number 7 Lillington Gardens, Tachbrook I would like to inform you of a matter that is ongoing on the Lillington Gardens Estate for one of my neighbours who is a pensioner and who asked me to help re some unwanted aerials on the side of her property for which she is the tenant. The aerials do not belong to her and have been in place for more than ten years and were also being used by her neighbour to grow plants up them and have bird boxes positioned on them. The aerials are big and rusty and an eyesore. I approached City West on her behalf and enquired about their removal and they were corresponding with me from when the first email was sent in October 2017. However, City West then decided to tell me it was 'case closed', none of my business and that one of their staff had spoken by phone to her and she had suddenly agreed to close the case without the aerials being removed.
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