Council House Complaints – Aired At Conisbrough Meeting

June 1957

Mexborough & Swinton Times, June 1st 1957

Council House Complaints
Aired At Conisbrough Meeting

Newly elected chairman of Conisbrough Urban Council, County Coun. Jim Prendergast explained to the tenants of the Windmill council housing estate, Conisbrough, at a public meeting on Friday, that the Council had been tied down by Government regulations when they built the council estate.

135 tenants of the Windmill estate had signed a petition objecting to recent increases in rents, and in answer the council called a public meeting. On Friday the tenants complained that they were not getting repairs done on the house is. County Coun. Prendergast explained that for many years after the war the council had been reluctant to increase rents, and the housing repairs fund had a deficit. He said that now the increase had been levied, the repairs fund could be built up and more repairs would be done.

The tenants complained of “green moulded walls,” useless pantries, lack of hot water, flooding, kitchen fittings falling away from walls, no fences round the gardens, and indoor coal houses. Mr. Tom Andrews said the kitchen sink fell away from the wall of his house within a month of it being built. Mrs Sarah Bramley said she had had no hot water for 12 months, although she had informed the council of the defect. Another tenant said that he had paid £100 for new carpets, and when he returned from a week’s holiday they were ruined by rainwater which had flooded through badly fitted doors.

County Coun. Prendergast appealed to the tenants to do minor repairs themselves and to treat the property as if it were their own. He said that when there was a change on tenancy the council often had to supply new locks, keys, windows and bath plugs and had to repair sinks and washbasins.

Coun. George Cheshire said that the council had considered levying a rate of 26s. In the £, but considered this would cause too much hardship and had decided to levy only 24s. In the £, and suspend for the time being their housing programme. He told the tenants that the houses on the Windmill estate had been built to government’s specifications and the plans had been approved by Government Officers. Coun. Cheshire said the council would eventually catch up with the repairs now that they could get the money from increased rents.