Council to invest £500k to tackle damp and mould

A council will invest £500,000 into creating a team to deal with damp and mould in its properties.

The team at Redditch Borough Council will be made up of seven officers, including builders and decorators.

Councillors agreed to release the money from the budget at a meeting on Tuesday.

As well as tackling damp and mould, it is hoped the team will help reduce response times to homes with issues.

Living in mouldy properties can cause respiratory illnesses, allergies and asthma, and can sometimes be fatal.

The authority said the work and the team would ensure it was compliant with Awaab's Law, which sees social landlords given a strict window to investigate and fix damp and mould.

It added that it was "ahead of the curve" in regards to the government's target to reduce non-decency in homes by 50% by 2030.

Under a revised renters' rights bill, Labour is looking to extend Awaab's Law to cover private landlords.

Councillor Bill Hartnett said the council wanted to prove that it took the issue seriously.

"Damp and mould is not unique to Redditch but we do have a variety of properties including bungalows, apartments and four bedroom homes all of different ages."

"By bringing the experts in house, we will save money and reduce waiting times for our customers."

Council leader Joe Baker added: "As a landlord the council has a responsibility to make sure our tenants have the safe and clean homes which is their fundamental right."

"We pledged to recognise this right in our manifesto and once again, with help from our tenants to ensure their houses can breathe, we are delivering to make damp and mould a thing of the past."

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