Over 160 homes in London borough criticised for 'severe' housing failings have mould and damp

More than 160 homes in a London borough criticised by housing investigators are affected by damp and mould, it was revealed on Monday.

Almost 1,800 other properties run by Waltham Forest council are also in desperate need of repairs and maintenance, figures show.

The number of serious housing failings in the borough hit a record high last year, with five instances of "severe maladministration" in how it handled complaints.

The government's Housing Ombudsman ordered the council to pay £18,800 in compensation to residents over three cases in February.

They included a family being made to wait eleven months for an inspection of their mould-infested home.

When works finally commenced the resident and her family, which included her autistic son, were forced to move into a caravan due to the conditions in the flat and no alternative accommodation being arranged.

Waltham Forest has a housing stock of some 12,000 properties. The Labour-run local authority admitted that 165 residents are living in council-owned accommodation that is affected by damp and mould, while almost 1,600 other households are staying in properties that are at risk of it.

Eighteen of its homes are at “high-risk” of damp, figures released in a Freedom of Information request revealed.

Ministers last year ordered a review of landlord guidance on the health risks of damp following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from a respiratory condition caused by "extensive" mould in the flat where he lived with his parents in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The Conservative party said Waltham Forest council was "excessively" spending money on equalities consultants and bias training "rather than focusing on delivery for local people".

The town hall paid £182,360 to equality, diversity and inclusion consultants and £114,102 to advisors for 15-minute, low traffic neighbourhoods last year, the Tory party added.

Orpington MP Gareth Bacon said: “Labour’s capacity for financial mismanagement is clearly boundless. This latest example of their profligate spending shows once again they are more interested in pushing their mad agendas than delivering for local residents.

“The public should know that when Labour run something, they run it badly.”

A Waltham Forest council spokesman said the borough is one of the most diverse in the country and “it is vital we make the effort to understand our residents’ needs and values so that we can assist them in finding education, training, and employment.” He added that the majority of equality, diversity and inclusion spending within the council uses the General Fund and that money cannot be switched to pay for housing repairs.

Cllr Ahsan Khan, cabinet member in charge of housing, said: “Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, the council set up a Damp and Mould Taskforce to look at what more we can do to keep tenants safe.

“This includes a single point of contact for residents who have concerns, so that they can be quickly looked into, alongside a proactive stock survey of our properties.

“We know that there is more to do, and we are determined to do it.

“The money we have invested – including over £40m as part of our comprehensive building safety commitment following the Grenfell disaster - shows that we are serious about our tenants’ health and wellbeing.”