Council tenants stressed by delays to safety works

A fraud investigation into the council’s housing department was launched in September

“Stressed” council tenants and leaseholders say they need a “clear plan” to resolve safety and repair issues at their block of flats.

Residents at Wodehouse Place, a block owned by Guildford Borough Council, had emergency safety works paused after a fraud investigation into the council’s housing department was launched in September.

Residents claim they have since been left with exposed wires and holes throughout the property’s hallways.

A council spokesperson said an inspection had certified the communal spaces as safe.

Tenants have raised concerns about exposed wires in communal spaces

A spokesperson for Wodehouse Place Residents' Association (WPRA) said the council’s leader, Julia McShane, had assured them the block was safe.

But the association claimed copies of the electrical certification confirmed residents’ concerns and that the work was certified as “unsatisfactory”.

Residents were told at the end of August that “emergency” fire safety works were needed "in the next fortnight".

They said there was a constant feel of “stress” and “chaos” in the apartment block.

Six months later Wodehouse Place and the council are at a “standstill” over the ‘urgent’ repairs which residents had not been consulted over, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Where you live is supposed to be a sanctuary,” the WPRA spokesperson said. “But [we’ve] got no control.”

A council spokesperson said: “Wodehouse Place has been subject to a full electrical test by a qualified electrician. The inspection of communal spaces shows these have been certified as safe.

“Three minor remedial actions were identified. These do not impact on safety and this work to rectify these actions has been instructed.”

The council said cosmetic works associated with the electrics there were not considered to be emergencies and were not impacting on the overall safety of the building.

The council has a “comprehensive plan” to deal with outstanding work, the spokesperson added.

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