Council repair warning to tenants

Less urgent repairs will have to wait in Flintshire council homes

Council tenants have been warned about cuts in services in Flintshire, where the housing repair department is facing a multi-million-pound overspend.

A letter to tenants says measures to control the projected deficit are being put in place but work will only be done in an emergency or if it is "urgent."

Other repairs will be on hold, but council house refurbishment will go on.

The housing repair and direct labour departments are forecast to make a £2m loss by the end of the financial year.

The council defines an emergency repair as a situation where there is a "real risk of injury or death, major damage to the property, or the property is not secure."

Residents in the council's 7,500 properties are being told that urgent repairs will be carried out "to overcome a major inconvenience, or where it might lead to health and safety problems."

The letter is signed by Ros Griffiths, Flintshire's executive member for housing and consumer services.

"What we wanted to do was to reassure our tenants that work currently being carried out will be completed," she said.

"We are now prioritising our repairs. If it's a health and safety issue, of course it will be dealt with, but something like a dripping tap can wait."

"There have been some misconceptions in the media. We wanted to be open and above board with our tenants.

"We are doing work but it needs to be done in a more prioritised way," she added.

In December, the director of community and housing, Steve Partner, was suspended in what was described as a "neutral act."

The council also began an internal investigation into the management of the housing repair department.

During a special meeting over Christmas, the council's external auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers confirmed it would carry out an investigation into the overspend.

The report is expected to be published in the spring.