Local MP Neil Coyle has accused Southwark Council of withholding a building report looking into whether a Bermondsey estate’s £1.3 million window refurbishment was faulty.
The Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP claimed the council had failed to share the report with himself and Kirby Estate residents despite having “promised” to do so.
In a letter addressed to Southwark councillor Ian Wingfield, Coyle said he believed residents had been “let down multiple times”.
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He called on Cllr Wingfield, chair of Southwark Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), to review the debacle at a committee meeting.
A copy of Mr Coyle’s letter shared with the News said: “I have been in communication with estate residents for three years and believe they have been let down multiple times, including in recent commitments by council officers and councillors to ensure information was shared.”
The Labour MP continued: “OSC should also acquire a copy of the building control inspection conducted earlier this year as this was promised to me and to residents but has been withheld by the council without explanation.
“Kirby Estate residents deserve to be able to access information regarding their homes and have been waiting some time for reasonable questions to be answered.”
“It is my concern that information within the report should have been acted on to ensure repairs and works to ‘make good’ the window fittings could have been undertaken before this winter.”
Kirby Estate residents have long claimed that poorly fitted windows, installed in 2020, are to blame for cold draughts and black mould growth.
While the council accepted there could be issues “relating to the quality” of window fittings, it said there’s no evidence they’re causing the damp and mould.
In 2020, a contractor authorised by FENSA – the regulatory body for window fittings – approved the installation.
But in 2022, an inspection by International Glass Associates found various problems with the windows, including locks not engaging, missing fixings and sashes not fitting frames.
It also identified damp and mould issues but blamed tenants. It said that some residents’ rooms were “ extremely cluttered” and another had put their “bed against the window”.
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Following an impassioned speech by Kirby resident Marta Prieto at Council Assembly on July 12, Southwark Council pledged to reinspect the windows and discuss its findings with residents around August.
But roughly three months later, residents are still waiting to see the report.
Marta Prieto said: “Winter is just around the corner and the mould is back. All the flats that were clean and lovely in the summer are now black again. Right now I’m sitting by my window and I can feel the breeze.”
North Bermondsey Councillor Rachel Bentley, a Liberal Democrat, said: “Labour are failing estate residents in Southwark. After the shocking scandal involving the Canada Estate and Devon Mansions, the residents of the Kirby Estate are still fighting the council for accountability over their own major works programme.”
In a briefing paper shared with the News, Southwark Council wrote: “In reference to the Kirby Estate specifically, the windows were of a very high spec and the issues with ventilation are being addressed.”