Council Tenant Faces Weeks Without Hot Water and Heating

A mother has reported being unable to properly bathe her children for nearly three weeks after her council residence was left without heating and hot water. Beth, a mother of three from Ollerton in Nottinghamshire, initially reported boiler problems on 20 November, the day after significant snowfall across the county. Despite numerous visits from a subcontractor, the issue remained unresolved. On Friday, she stated she was informed that the boiler and all her radiators would require replacement, but she would need to remain in the house. Newark and Sherwood District Council stated its efforts to resolve any tenant-raised issues “as soon as possible.” Beth, 24, explained that for two weeks she had been using wet wipes and filling the kitchen sink with kettle-boiled water to clean herself and her children, the youngest of whom is four months old. She expressed feeling like she was not a priority due to living in a council estate, adding: “I’m just feeling very deflated, stressed.” Following an initial subcontractor visit to assess her boiler on the evening of 20 November, Beth claimed no one attended again for several days, prompting her to lodge a complaint with the council. When the subcontractor visited the property approximately five days later, Beth was told a part was needed. However, she said it was soon after established that further damage had occurred to a pipe connected to the boiler. On Friday, Beth reported that a surveyor visited her and informed her that the work to replace the boiler and several pipes under her floorboards would take multiple days to complete. The tenant stated that her requests for temporary accommodation had been denied. She commented: “It’s been really difficult. We’ve just been having to fill up the kitchen sink with boiled water but it takes four or five times of boiling the kettle before it fills the sink and obviously it’s just getting more and more difficult as more time goes on.” She also mentioned that her children had been ill over the past few weeks, with the absence of heating or hot water “adding insult to injury.” She recalled: “At one time my daughter was sick all over herself and me while we were in bed and we were still unable to have a bath.” Beth indicated that the family had been using an electric fireplace in the living room to stay warm, a practice she usually avoided due to the expense. She added: “It’s costing an additional £5 a day. It doesn’t sound like a lot but when you count all the days we haven’t had heating, it does add up.” Paul Peacock, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, stated he could not comment on individual cases but affirmed that the council collaborates with partner agencies to “thoroughly investigate” problems reported by tenants as soon as possible. He said: “At times these can be complex to complete, and our teams will support our tenants during this process. “Sometimes there can be ongoing circumstances and whilst I cannot comment on individual cases I would like to reassure tenants that our teams do all they can to resolve repair issues in a timely manner.”