“In
the short time since the elections in May, my constituents have experienced
considerable problems with both the lifts and the automatic security doors in
the five high-rise blocks on Queens Park”
“Some
weeks ago, the security door at Walter Robinson Court – was open for more than
48 hours – anyone could - and did,
wander freely in and out of the building for a whole weekend. When I telephoned the Council’s emergency
repairs line, I was told that they had been instructed NOT to phone up the
repair company, as it was too expensive to call them out at weekends. Similarly, the lifts were out of order (in
the tallest of all our tower-blocks, over 20 storeys!) for a whole weekend
recently. Again, when asked to repair
it, we were told it cost too much to call the repairmen out at the weekend.”
“Walter
Robinson Court is for over-40’s only.
Many of it’s residents are elderly or disabled – to leave such people
with a wide-open front door, and no lifts for days at a time is simply not acceptable
– one of my constituents, who is 75 years old and has a multitude of health and
mobility problems was told to ‘use the stairs’ when she complained – she lives
on the 18th floor!”
“I
have asked the Local Housing Officer on more than one occasion if she considers
an open front door to be an emergency, and if they will give me a commitment to
having doors and lifts fixed whenever they break down – sadly I have received
no such pledge.”
I will not be satisfied until Blackpool Coastal
Housing give me, and the residents of all the tower blocks a written assurance
that they DO consider faulty security doors and lifts to be a priority, and
that it future, they WILL call out repair men immediately, when things go wrong
– irrespective of cost.