Slum landlord? Muirhouse high rise conditions “insufferable”

“If this was a private landlord there would be outrage” – Councillor Graham Hutchison

North West Locality Committee has called for an urgent report into the scale of the problems faced by Muirhouse high rise tenants. The call for action follows an emergency motion submitted by the Conservatives and supported by the Liberal Democrats at Tuesday night’s marathon NWLC meeting.

SNP and Labour committee members – the parties who make up the city’s Capital Coalition administration – voted against the emergency motion, arguing that action is already underway to address the myriad problems of the high rise blocks in Muirhouse –  but the motion was carried by 11 votes to 4.

Almond Tory Councillor Graham Hutchison told the committee: “I’m sure we’d all agree that one case of a tenant dealing with a hole in their roof for over a year is one too many. And I’m sure if we had one case of a council tenant who had had to move all her furniture into one room – that is, all the furniture that hasn’t been damaged by damp – with no response from the council for six months, is one case too many.

“Or a family of five forced to move into one room following a flooding – which then took three weeks to be addressed – is one case too many. In each of these cases, I was assured by officers these were ‘one-offs’ and not symptomatic of a broader problem.”

Councillor Hutchison was one of a number of elected members who attended a protest organised by the Living Rents campaign at Fidra Court last week. Councillors met local residents and took the opportunity to see for themselves the conditions in which tenants are living.

Councillor Hutchison continued: “Our tenants are living in insufferable conditions. We as a council are failing in our duty some of our most vulnerable residents. If this was a private landlord there would be outrage.

“We have been called a slum landlord – and having seen the conditions in people’s homes it would be hard to argue that this isn’t the case.”

Liberal Democrat Almond Councillor Louise Young seconded the motion. “All Almond councillors have received what are basically pleas for help from familes living in quite terrible conditions.

“There are many cases that can be highlighted. One that particularly got to me as the parent of two children myself was the case of a mother who’s baby had to be admitted to hospital because of breathing difficulties directly attributed to the damp and mould in that baby’s bedroom. My heart goes out to that woman.

“This type of experience came up time and time again, affecting the old and the young, and quite frankly it’s not acceptable in our society today

“The housing falls well below standard. To tackle the problem, we need clarity on the scale of the problem we are facing. Only then can we develop a clear plan for resolving this.”

Summing up, Councillor Hutchison said: “This (motion) is just the starting point – it’s no the answer. We need a report on the conditions to understand the full extent of the problem.

“To go back to the residents – who are living with damp in their flats, suffering health conditions, at risk of injury from falling masonry – to go back to them and say we are waiting on the outcome of a briefing note just doesn’t cut it.”

A full report will go to the next meeting of the Housing and Economy committee.