Edinburgh Council’s Senior Housing Staff meet North Edinburgh Parents Action Group at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre
Last Wednesday (27th September), North Edinburgh Parents Action Group met with senior members of the Council’s housing management team and the Chair of the Housing Committee to discuss the issues raised in their report ‘SOS North Edinburgh’s Housing Emergency’ .
The group used the meeting to highlight many of the housing problems which sadly are common in most areas of North Edinburgh including mould and dampness, overcrowding, anti-social behaviour and an unacceptable repairs service.
Shocking
Group members shared their own personal stories about how these issues were impacting on their familiies’ physical and mental health. The housing staff and the chair of the Housing Committee were visibly shocked at some of the stories shared by members.
The senior housing staff gave a commitment to work with the parents group to address these issues as a matter of urgency. They also agreed to work closely with local families who have been involved in the project to try to resolve their ongoing housing problems and will use this process to identify what needs to change.
Susan Rowand, Chairperson of the Parents Group, said: “People have been waiting so long to get their housing issues fixed, many of them can’t wait any longer. We really hope that things begin to happen soon.
“A follow up meeting has been planned for the end of November to update the group on progress made.”
A group member added: ” I feel pain and anger at what my family have been through, maybe something will happen now – I don’t know.”
Next Steps
After the October break, group members will meet with Dr Olivia Swann, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Edinburgh University.
Dr Swann worked with the parents group earlier this year on their publication and told group members that “strong scientific evidence has shown that poor housing can affect someone’s physical and mental health throughout their life.”
This is a very worrying concern for group members and highlights the need to address the area’s housing emergency now.
LOCAL PARENTS LAUNCH DAMNING REPORT ON HOUSING CRISIS
North Edinburgh Parents Action Group has launched an exhibition and publication highlighting the horrific housing conditions local people are being forced to live in.
The group also screened a new film about the lived experience of a local woman’s heart-breaking attempts to secure a decent home for her children.
North Edinburgh Parents Group hope that the event held at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre yesterday will draw attention to the significant impact that poor housing is having on local families’ physical and mental health and will send a clear message to politicians at all levels of government that urgent action is required to tackle North Edinburgh’s housing crisis.
Guests were welcomed by Royston Wardieburn Community Centre chairperson Billy Fitzpatrick and the event was launched by Forth SNP councillor Stuart Dobbin, who has been taking a particular interest and holding surgeries on the issue:
“Living in a home safe from Damp and Mould should be a basic right that all Council and Private tenants should enjoy.
“This important event was made all the more powerful and moving by hearing the testimony of women who, with their families, have to live with Damp and Mould and the exhibition showing pictures from inside their homes.
“Dampness creates a risk to our physical health and our mental health. It impacts on the future life chances of our children. And if not addressed, it places additional burdens on our doctors and the wider NHS services.
“This is the issue that I am most passionate about addressing as a Councillor. By my estimate about one quarter of all Council dampness cases in Edinburgh are in North Edinburgh.
“I have been raising cases and campaigning within the Council for faster action to be taken to eradicate damp from tenants homes, and as a result, the Council has now set up a dedicated, skilled team to do just that. Early days and a lot to do.
“I want to hear from residents who have damp and mould, or are having difficulty getting the problems addressed.
“I will be at Pilton Community Health Project tomorrow morning (Friday) from 09.15-11.00 if anyone needs to discuss this or any other matter that I can help with. Or you can email me – cllr.stuart.dobbin@edinburgh.gov.uk”
Few who attended the event could fail to have been moved by the heart-rending stories of local woman struggling to be heard. The women, for many of whom English is not their first language, bravely shared their dreadful experiences to a packed room.
As one said after the event: “Speaking to a big crowd made me very nervous and I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do it.
“But we all did do it – we had to do it. We want people to hear how we are living.”
A spokesperson for the group said: “We understand that there are no simple solutions or easy fixes to Edinburgh’s current housing emergency.
“However, Edinburgh is one of the richest cities in the country and it is time that all levels of government – Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Government and the UK government – come together and prioritise spending on improving housing conditions in this city.
“We are serious about our demands and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure a decent place to live. We hope that we do not have to resort to a class action which is the route that over 50 tenants from various local authorities have taken in order to secure a warm, safe home.
“However, nothing is off the table. Enough is enough!”
Sara, who spoke at the event, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to tell our stories and have our voices heard.
“We’re fed up of nobody listening to us and being blamed for causing the problem. It’s not our fault. It’s well documented that people have been having problems with dampness and mould down here for decades and its time that something was done about it for once and for all”.
Susan, another member of the group, added: “We are really disappointed that the ‘high heid yins’ didn’t come to our event to hear our stories and see for themselves the conditions that people are having to put up with.
“We will be making sure that they all get a copy of our report and we will be expecting to hear from them soon about how they are going to respond to our demands. They need to understand that we’re not going away.”
Dr Olivia Swann, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Infectious Disease at Edinburgh University, also spoke at the event.
Thanking the women for their moving testimonies, Olivia’s presentation explained how homes are much more than just physical structures and made clear that “strong scientific evidence has shown that poor housing can affect someone’s physical and mental health throughout their life”.
Sara says this is an extremely worrying fact for those of us with young children who have been living in mouldy homes for most of their young lives.
Dawn Anderson, Director of Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), who attended the event along with members of her Board, including former Leith MP/MSP and Holyrood Health Secretary Malcolm Chisholm, said: “We are very concerned about the problems the parents group has raised.
“PCHP has been supporting people to get help for some time. One parent has been working with Media Education on a new film featuring the nine year battle of Anita, a local women, desperately trying to escape her damp house”.
Dawn explained how it was fitting that the parents action group had called their exhibition ‘Home Sweet Home’: “It’s 40 years since PCHP was established in North Edinburgh and dampness and ill-health was one of the first issues the campaigners worked on. Meetings with local parents led to a womens’ group forming.
“They produced a slide show called “Home Sweet Home” and presented it to health professionals in the area. This resulted in The Scottish Executive backing a research project conducted by the University of Edinburgh who established a direct link between dampness and ill-health all those years ago.
“There have been countless studies on this issue over the years which have drawn the same conclusions. Sadly, we can see from Anita’s film and from the parents stories and photographs, little has changed and family’s in the area are still faced with health threatening living conditions.”
The Group is already planning a follow-up event to build on the momentum created by yesterday’s launch.
HOME
A poem by members of North Edinburgh Parents Action Group
BRITAIN is in the grip of a new mould crisis, a leading property association has warned. The National Association of Property Buyers says they are seeing more and more cases of mould infestations inside properties.
And they’ve warned the problem is going to get worse and wll become a bigger issue for many homeowners and renters in the New Year.
Spokesman Jonathan Rolande has now called for a national awareness campaign to drive up knowledge and information about the problem.
He said: “Damp and mouldy homes don’t just make life a misery – they put lives at risk. I fear the cost of living crisis is only making this issue more acute.
“I am seeing more and more cases of this at the moment in properties I am viewing and in pictures shared with me by colleagues in the industry.”
Explaining the main reasons properties suffer with dampness, Mr Rolande said: “Rain is a massive contributory factor. This can enter the home through a porous external wall or because of defective guttering or roofing. Once it has penetrated it soaks into insulation and plasterwork. This is a perfect environment for mould to grow. The UK is experiencing increasing amounts of torrential rainfall.
“Rising damp is a problem too. A more unusual cause as most properties built after 1930 have an adequate damp proof course (DPC) to stop moisture from the ground from entering the home. However, the DPC can be breached if soil or paving is built up around the outside walls.
“Condensation often creates damp as well. We all experience condensation in our homes when cooking or after a shower. Good ventilation is key, moisture has to be allowed to escape. Many people don’t ventilate adequately in an effort to preserve warmth in the home.”
TIPS ON HOW TO BEST DEAL WITH MOULD
*Switching on the heating for at least twenty minutes in the morning will even out the temperature and stop the cold spots where condensation settles. Warmer air increases airflow too which allows moisture to escape more easily.
*Ventilate. If safe to do so, leave a window slightly open whenever you can and always when cooking or bathing.
*Dry clothes outside when possible or in a ventilated room. Tumble driers cause less condensation.
*Use moisture traps or a dehumidifier to catch excess water.
*Remember that our homes are now more airtight – double glazing and insulation keeps the bills down but stops normal airflow.
*Some plants – ferns and orchids – reduce humidity and they look nice too
*Check the structure, damp can be a pipe leak or rain getting in through the brickwork. Check tiles and gutters are sound too.
*Use lids on cooking pans – it saves money too.
*Keep furniture away from walls to increase air movement
Carol from Shelter Scotland advises Families and Pregnant Women around any housing issues but mainly damp and mould, and overcrowding.
She will be here at PCHP on the first and third Fridays of November and December from 10am until 12pm. Come along to meet her if these issues are affecting you!
Guidance setting out private rented sector landlords’ responsibilities for ensuring their property meets updated standards has been published.
From 1 March next year, all private rented properties will be required to have central heating, a kitchen with adequate space and facilities to prepare and store food, and common areas that are safe to use and properly maintained.
Properties will also need a circuit breaker device that reduces the risk of electrocution and fire. Existing requirements for safe gas and electrical systems will be extended to other types of fuel. Similar standards are already in place in the social rented sector.
The guidance also covers the action landlords must already take to prevent damp and mould.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “Landlords have one year to meet our updated Repairing Standard, which will improve the condition of private rented property, make homes safer and ensure consistency between the social and private rented sectors.
“The majority of private landlords will already be meeting these standards. The guidance published today will help landlords better understand their responsibilities and ensure those who do need to carry out works can do so in advance of the 1 March 2024 deadline.
“All rented homes are required to meet standards that ensure they are free from damp and mould, and this guidance will help us to ensure this happens in the private rented sector.”
