Call to move tenants from 'substandard' homes

The Save Ekin Road group wants the houses upgraded and the flats demolished

Tenants living in a city's "substandard" council homes should be rehoused immediately, a campaign group has said.

The Save Ekin Road group has called on Cambridge City Council to rehouse families it claims are living in "near uninhabitable" flats due to "severe cases of mould, damp and condensation".

Ekin Road has been identified by the authority as a potential area for redevelopment into new council homes.

The council said it would not happen immediately and anyone with concerns should get in contact.

The campaign group said the flats were now in a "dire" state

The group was founded to campaign for all of the homes to be preserved and for the city council to upgrade and repair the buildings.

It now wants the flats to be demolished, describing the conditions as "dire", but says 32 semi-detached houses in the area are still in good condition.

The group told councillors at a housing scrutiny committee meeting that the council must "immediately rehouse those residents on Ekin Road who are council tenants and living in substandard, near uninhabitable dwellings".

"There are many severe cases of mould, damp and condensation on the estate, and those families need to be rehoused immediately, by direct-let," it added.

"No family should be living in such conditions, and they cannot wait for the investigation works by the council to conclude."

Councillor Gerri Bird, the Labour executive councillor for housing and homelessness, said the points would be forwarded to surveyors JLL, who were completing a report.

"As the council has not approved redevelopment or refurbishment it cannot undertake immediate rehousing of tenants by direct-lets," she said.

"Dialogue is going on with tenants and residents explaining what options we may have should redevelopment or refurbishment be approved".