Resident Questions for Housing Area Panel
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Question Title |
Security of council residents: door at Essex Place Laundry |
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Date question raised |
19/12/2022 |
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Week of Area Panel |
13/2/2023 |
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Area in city |
Central |
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Star rating applied by residents |
3 stars – city wide |
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Deadline for officer response |
9am on 19th January |
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Name of officer responding |
Geof Gage |
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Officer job title |
Head of Housing Investment & Asset Management |
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Issue: |
A resident using the laundry room at Essex place was recently attacked. Urgent action needs to be taken to make the outer laundry door secure. |
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Background: |
It is believed that the gang of teenagers that carried out the attack may have got in through the outer laundry room door. This door is located on the outside of the block to allow residents from Warwick Mount to use the facilities. Since at least 2019, Essex Place Residents Association has time and time again asked for a proper security door to be put on. The door is broken and very easy to break into. This has been reported many times and the Association has met with numerous officers to discuss it. Due to this lack of action from the Council, this problem has escalated from rough sleepers and drug users getting in to the laundry to residents actually being attacked. The Council as the landlord have a responsibility to make sure that buildings are secure and if they had done so this attack would not have happened. This issue was raised at the Area Panel in December 2022, and the Council promised that they would address this urgently. No one has yet been in touch with the Residents Association. In the meantime, residents are too frightened to use the laundry room. |
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Action requested: |
a. Immediate action to put in a proper safety door, with full communication with Essex Place Residents Association. b. Response from the Council on how they are meeting their duty of care throughout the city to ensure buildings are secure and residents safe. |
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Officer contact details: |
Geof Gage, Head of Housing Investment & Asset Management |
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Officer Response: |
A) We are in the process of obtaining quotations for the replacement of the door for a secure by design aluminium door, the current anticipated install date would be May/June 2023. As an interim measure the door has been screwed shut to prevent access externally. B) The Council takes resident safety very seriously and we will always attend and manage risks accordingly. Due to external users of the laundry it has been necessary to undertake engagement before securing. |
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Action: |
None - complete |
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Start date: |
16.12.2022 |
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End date: |
16.12.2022 |