Latest news with #DavidBithell
Leader Live
24-04-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Data reveals 13-year housing wait for older Wrexham resident
The individual - whose identity is unknown but who is over 65 - was first put on the housing waiting list on April 25, 2012. In 2018 they were moved up to band two - the second-highest of Wrexham County Borough Council's five priority levels. A Freedom of Information request has revealed that in Wrexham there are 50 people in the county borough's top two priority bands who are over 65 and have been waiting for social housing for between one and five years. In addition there are seven residents over 65 in those top two priority groups who have been waiting more than five years to be housed or rehoused. These include Theresa Batty, an 82-year-old grandmother living in a social housing bungalow in Ponciau. She told The Leader she has been waiting since 2018 to be rehoused due to persistent damp and black mould which she says has made her breathing, heart and skin conditions worse. "The council just don't care," she said. "They keep coming round to scrape off the mould and paint over it with special treatment. but the air is thick with damp and it's hard to breathe. I just need to move to a more suitable home because I've had to live like this for years." The same Freedom of Information request reported that 3,104 Wrexham residents were waiting either to be allocated social housing or to be moved into more suitable social housing across all age groups and bandings. Read more: Wrexham Council says nan's 'mouldy' home is suitable for her to live in Pensioner still waiting to be rehoused after SEVEN years in home riddled with mould Band one residents are prioritised due to medical need, risk of financial hardship due to under-occupancy and military discharge. They may also be care leavers or residents living in homes significantly adapted for disabled living which they no longer need. Band two residents are considered a priority due to factors including living in unsatisfactory housing as assessed by Environmental Health, homelessness, families living in a flat in the county borough for at least two consecutive years with at least one child aged 16 or under, living in an overcrowded home, needing to move to access specialist medical treatment or a more suitable disability-adapted property, financial hardship due to housing costs or those who have accessed emergency homelessness support and are now ready to move into their own home. In response to the data, Wrexham County Borough Councillor David Bithell, Lead Member Housing and Climate change said: "We have recently approved a revised Allocations Policy which went through consultation with contract holders, members and key stakeholders. This did result is some changes to banding for existing applications. "The Housing Department is working extremely hard to build new council homes to meet rising demand. We are taking every opportunity working with partners and Welsh Government to secure additional funding to build new homes. "We have also bought back 28 additional properties over the last two years, adding to our housing stock of 11,000 properties and refurbished three sheltered housing schemes with a combined 70 units between them. "An additional sheltered housing scheme is due to complete in the early summer with a further 38 units. 'We are committed to building new properties and we have a number of new developments planned including six new council homes in Johnstown which are nearing completion. "There are also plans to build up to 51 new council homes in Rhosddu and four in Derwent Crescent in Acton."
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Hafod tip: 'Disgusting' landfill smells 'cannot continue'
The "disgusting" odours coming from a landfill site that residents have said smells like rotten eggs must be brought to an end, a Member of the Senedd has Skates, Member of the Senedd for Clwyd South, has been campaigning over the Hafod tip in Johnstown, Wrexham, which residents have long complained about. "Enough is enough - it can't carry on," said Skates, who is also Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Resources Wales (NRW) said it "understands the significant concern" and was monitoring the landfill "closely".Enovert, which runs the site, has been approached for comment but had previously said it was operating according to its permit from NRW. Skates said the "situation is getting worse rather than better", describing the smell as "disgusting".An enforcement notice was issued to Enovert in December 2023 over breaches of its environmental permit, which included odour and landfill gas management ruled that the company had failed to manage levels of leachate - polluted liquid that drains from said it would work with NRW on an agreed action has been campaigning alongside local councillor David Bithell, and said he and Mr Bithell had previously met with Enovert management to discuss the concerns."The meeting felt constructive, but we made it clear that we wanted to see improvements to address local people's concerns."But nothing seems to have changed since - certainly not in the eyes of my constituents in the affected communities," Skates said, adding that he had raised the issue with Welsh Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Rawlinson, from NRW, said it was "dedicating significant resources" to ensuring Enovert complied with its environmental permit requirements, and that an action plan was being Rawlinson said NRW only revoked permits "if we believe the operation poses a serious risk to the environment of human health" or if all other measures to reduce the odour have been exhausted"."At present the operators are still working through a number of actions to address the issues and we are regulating them closely," she said, adding that closing the site "would not immediately eliminate the odours".
