'Council renovation left Blackburn home with leaks' (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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'Council renovation left Blackburn home with leaks'
4:58pm Monday 15th October 2012 in News
A BLACKBURN homeowner told senior councillors that a 2009 Housing Market Renewal refurbishment of her house left it in a worse condition than if ‘tramps and squatters’ lived in it.
Marie Stoiles of Wensley Road came to the borough’s executive board to claim the work had left her property badly affected by leaks and damp.
Blackburn with Darwen council leader Kate Hollern agreed to arrange a meeting between Mrs Stoiles, a builder of her choice and surveying staff from the authority to look again at the problems.
Mrs Stoiles told her that she had been so concerned by the issue she had taken the borough to the local government ombudsman who had found that officials had dealt with her complaints properly.
Despite this, and repeated visits by council workmen to do ‘patch up repairs’, the problems had worsened.
Mrs Stoiles asked Coun Hollern: “What are you going to do to stop the constant recurring leakages and damage being caused?”
Coun Hollern said: “I have some sympathy with you but I do not see where we go from here.”
She then suggested the meeting between Mrs Stoiles’ builder and council officials to review the situation.
