London council reveals damp and disrepair plan in wake of ITV coverage

Although a Lewisham Homes spokesperson said the action plan was not developed directly as a result of the coverage, it prompted the organisation to publish details of it in a document and introduce some new initiatives in response to the specific failings that were identified. 

The case also “increased the urgency” of the plan and “highlighted particularly the issue of providing clearer guidance for staff on how to escalate concerns and the senior management review group for priority moves and poor condition properties”.

In a statement at the time, Lewisham Homes’ chief executive Margaret Dodwell said that Mr Sheikh was moved immediately after the coverage and apologised “unreservedly for our failings in this case”. 

According to a recently published council Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget report, which was set to appear before the mayor and cabinet today, the action plan was developed “following on from recent issues highlighted”. 

It includes the creation of a dedicated damp and mould team and the development of a register of at-risk properties to begin “more proactive management of damp and mould”.

There are plans to undertake ‘property MoTs’ on properties known to be at risk of damp within the council’s stock “with the target of completing 1,000 by the end of March 2022”. 

Once the results of the surveys are known, “repairs and follow-up actions will be taken to resolve the issues”, which according to the report may require additional funding of up to £1m. 

“Discussions are ongoing with Lewisham Homes on how to fund this request,” it says.

Mark Newstead, director of property services and safety, joined Lewisham Homes in March 2021 with a remit to raise the standards of the organisation’s repairs and maintenance programme.

He said that a number of measures had been introduced to strengthen its processes around the condition of properties.

“This includes a new escalation process and senior management review group for priority moves and poor condition properties, providing dedicated training for staff on how to report and escalate concerns about residents’ living conditions, and increasing resources to manage disrepair. 

“We have also procured a new leak track-and-trace contractor, plus specialist ventilation contractors to target properties with overcrowding issues,” Mr Newstead said. 

He added: “We have so far completed 285 property MOTs, which are designed to capture necessary repairs early while also feeding into our overall stock condition data, which we use to plan major works programmes. 

“The teams conducting the inspections are equipped to carry out a variety of repairs on the spot or offer future appointments for more complex work.”

Update: at 9.50am, 13.01.2022

The line ‘Mehdi Sheikh’s home was flooded and covered in mould, while a leak running down his walls was found to be contaminated with faeces’ was amended to include ‘though Lewisham Homes disputes the latter finding following its own investigation’.