Storm-hit homes in need of urgent repairs

The council homes in Haslam Crescent, Sheffield, were damaged during Storm Pia and Storm Jocelyn

Council homes damaged by winter storms are in urgent need of repair, a council meeting heard.

The roofs of seven blocks of maisonettes in Haslam Crescent, Sheffield, were badly damaged by Storm Pia and Storm Jocelyn in December and January.

A report to Sheffield City Council's finance and performance policy committee deemed the repairs too urgent to be included in the main roofing 2024/2029 replacement programme.

On Monday, the committee allocated £610,000 for the most serious of roof repairs.

In the report, it said roof sections were dislodged on the blocks in Lowedges and three of them were identified as needing particularly urgent repairs in February, the Local Democracy Service reports.

Council maintenance staff had ensured damage was made safe, said the report, but repairs could not wait until work was carried out on the roofs of 5,000 council properties.

It added: “These roofs are in urgent need of repair and it is not considered viable for these properties to be completed under the main roofing replacement programme 2024-2029 scheme, as a contractor will not be available for at least six months and there would be a risk of further damage during this period."

The total budget for the entire city-wide reroofing programme is £46.7m, of which just over £3m is to be spent in the current 2024/25 financial year.

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