Thousands of homes in Gateshead are damp and mouldy – with fears the age of the homes may be to blame.
Gateshead Council has recorded 2,475 cases of damp and mould in its own houses between November 2022 to September this year.
According to a local authority report, after numerous mould washes and damp works throughout the year, around 379 homes still have a damp or mould problem.
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A councillor for Winlaton and High Spend raised her concerns to the housing overview committee that the age of the authority’s housing stock may explain the prevalence.
Coun Pamela Burns said: “This is like putting a sticking plaster on a broken leg because it is the house itself that has been badly built or has no insulation. The resident is getting the washdown and decorating and then it happens again.
“A lot of these houses were built so long ago and they are just not in a good way.”
Coun Burns went on to mention a resident who had re-occurring damp and mould issues in their property going back as far as 2010. Council officers were then asked about what investment is in place to resolve dampness and mould throughout the authority’s housing stock.
Kevin Scarlett, service director for housing strategy at Gateshead Council, said: “Over the next five years £168m will be invested in council homes. We can’t do it all at once because of budget challenges but a big slice of that is to tackle some of these things, like roofing or particularly insulation, damp proof-membraines etc.
“Also when we get damp and mould reports that influences the planning of the capital programme. If there are lots of properties in a similar area we will look and see if there is a common problem that needs tackling with capital spending.”
Coun Dott Burnett commented: “I think that because it is more prevalent we may need a separate reporting procedure because it is very worrying. On some occasions, it’s whole families that are affected.
“Damp is particularly worrying, especially when they may have issues with their health.”
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