A Liberal Democrat proposal to speed up Gateshead’s council house repairs by allowing tenants to find their own repairmen is “worth exploring”.
Deputy leader of the Gateshead Liberal Democrats, Ron Beadle, proposed tenants find contractors outside the council for repairs and the local authority then take care of the bill.
Image: Gateshead Council
Cllr Beadle said: “Have we given any consideration in our 30-year housing plan to giving tenants the money they require for repairs rather than them having to wait for us to provide it?
“We have had thousands of tenants waiting for repairs whose repairs were delayed because of our limitations and staffing. Would it be worth thinking about, in the longer term, whether we take responsibility for costing the repair and allow individuals to source whoever does the repair for them, thus reducing the length of time they have to wait?”
John Adams, the cabinet member for housing, responded: “This is that rare thing, a good idea coming from the Liberal Democrats. I think it is possibly problematic but I think it is worth exploring and I am happy to take that forward.
“I think there could be some straightforward things we could delegate, but nothing to do with compliance of course”.
Image: Gateshead Council
Leader of the Council Martin Gannon was, however, more sceptical. Mr Gannon said: “There also may be some regulatory issues as well. As a landlord, we would have to confirm the quality of works undertaken in a property which might end up costing the council twice.”
In November 2022, council officers reported the authority was scheduled to complete its Storm Arwen repairs, almost a full year after the freak weather event. At the time there were still 3,000 backlogged repairs not related to Storm Arwen.
One woman in Windy Nook had to wait 18 weeks for a council roof repair while water continued to spread through to the property’s walls and ceiling.
