The Black Mould Of Death

The Black Mould Of Death is certainly not a new episode of Doctor Who but rather the consequences of the neglect of Gateshead Council. Emma Brown and her children are now under not very subtle health threat provoked by Gateshead Council. Having refused inadequate offers of compensation for an 11 roomed home they are now faced with the consequences of Gateshead Council neglect.

The Council was ordered by a court not to demolish the houses on each side of Emma's terraced home. The problem comes with the benign neglect of those properties. Over the last 5 years at various times council workmen have left the properties insecure, damaged pipes and caused flooding, switched off utilities, failed to grit one side of the street and so on. The result is that neighbouring properties are cold, damp and attracting black mould. This is now attacking Emma's home.

All these homes were habitable property in good condition occupied by a community of good neighbours. Now, under the care of Gateshead Council, they are not being repaired and making life a misery for those residents who have chosen not to sell up. The cynical suspicion is that neglect is an active weapon used in the demolition programme to depress residents to the point at which they have to leave.

Gateshead Council should be ashamed at how they treat their own Council Tax payers. However they have little compassion and regard the tactic of making housing unhabitable as part of their role in cleansing Gateshead of working class families.

Link
Evening Chronicle

New Homes Are "grotty" say MPs

MPs are concerned that the Government agency for housing is spending millions on 'grotty' new homes and repeating the mistakes of mass house building of the 1960s.

The Homes and Communities Agency, which funds the pathfinder demolition programme, is charged with building poor quality replacement housing. In the official eco-rating system, which scores eco-building from 0 to 20, bailed-out private sector builders have scored as low as 1.5. The scale represents the 'Building for Life' benchmark which has (allegedly) been accepted as the basis for new construction.

The latest count shows 27 private developments have been rescued from collapse by public money. This arguably poses the question of whether it would have been cheaper to build with public funds in the first place rather than working with the private sector.

Alan Howarth, former architecture minister, told Building Design magazine , that "it (the HCA) had ignored its statutory duty to promote high-quality design".

The former minister added; "I don't think there can be any excuse at all for the HCA sanctioning a new wave of grotty housing"

These new revelations about poor housing build is no surprise to residents in pathfinder areas who have seen many perfectly good homes demolished in favour of 'grotty' developments.

Here in Gateshead the Council, now sceptical of receiving Government money for the botched pathfinder programme, is working with "private developers" to create Joint Venture Partnerships to build on the land now covered in grass. Could these be the same private developers who have scored as low as 1.5 in the Building for Life score? The horror story of Gateshead Council housing policy continues.


Link
The Observer (10th Jan 2010)