Nan’s mouldy home is suitable to live in according to council

Alec Doyle – Local democracy reporter

A pensioner’s mouldy home is a suitable home to live in, a Welsh council has said.

Wrexham Council says it is working with 82-year-old Theresa Batty who has waited for seven years to be rehoused due to damp and mould problems.

But at the moment the council’s housing department considers her Ponciau bungalow a suitable home to live in.

The nan revealed she had been on the waiting list for rehousing since 2018 when she first reported issues around damp and mould in her home that were affecting her health.

Those problems have continued over the years, with contractors clearing out mould and treating walls only for the problems to return.

Treatments

Mrs Batty has type two diabetes,  the heart condition atrial fibrillation, hypertension, eczema and oedema (swelling) of the legs and says that the damp and mould – plus the treatments used to try to deal with them – are making her health worse.

That claim was supported by a letter from her GP Dr George Williams, who wrote to the council concerned that damp was causing problems with Mrs Batty’s health.

Last month Mrs Batty pleaded with the council to help her move to a more suitable home.

“I can’t go into the kitchen for longer than a few minutes as I begin to cough uncontrollably and struggle to breathe,” she said. “I have health conditions and it’s making them worse. When they do come around to treat the problem, the anti-mould [spray] they put down goes everywhere – even on my legs. It is irritating my skin condition.”

Smell

Wrexham County Borough Council has now said it is working with Mrs Batty to resolve her issues, but says her accommodation is suitable.

“We are working with Theresa Batty,” said Lead Member for Housing and Climate Change and deputy leader of Wrexham Council Cllr David Bithell.

“The council officers deem that currently she’s in suitable accommodation but I know officers are working with Mrs Batty now to try to resolve her issues.

“Elected members don’t get involved in individual cases, it’s done centrally in our allocations team.

“We’ve got 3,500 people on the waiting list and on a daily basis we get people unhappy with where they are living or where they want to move. We have to do everything within our allocations policy.”

Mrs Batty said she was not convinced.

“I can smell the mould building back up behind the kitchen units,” she said. “It’s getting harder to breathe in the kitchen.

“I don’t feel like the council care. I’ve had these problems for years and they are just going to offer the same solutions. Temporary ones. I just need to get out of here.”