Latest news with #repairs
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Damage to Ashburton Swimming Pool sparks urgent repairs
A community swimming pool in south Devon is undergoing repairs due to significant Swimming Pool said contractors identified "lots of cracks" at the deep end of the pool, causing the wall to shift and leak. Ms Wood said the community pool has spent more than £50,000 on an "extensive rebuild of the deep end wall".Chair of trustees Lucy Wood said due to the issue, they lost between 1,200 and 1,800 litres of water a day last year which had been a "big cost". "It is quite a significant leak that has added on a huge cost," she said. "Every cubic meter we lost in water we have had to replace, heat and balance it with chemicals."That has been a really big challenge for us for the last couple of years since discovering these significant leaks."Trustees called in a national swimming pool leak team to investigate and after digging behind the cracked wall, they found the damage was more extensive than they originally anticipated. She said once the repairs were complete and there were no further leaks, they needed to heat the water and balance the chemicals which can take up to three weeks. 'Use it or lose it' She said the safety of their visitors was "paramount".The pool is run by volunteers after it was taken over by the local community in 2016. Ever since has been supported and funded by the people of Wood said the funding has been "vital", adding Ashburton Town Council also gave money to contribute towards this year's repairs."Without the community support, the pool doesn't exist, and it wouldn't be able to open," she said. "The pool has to be used, it's a use it or lose it. We love to see people swimming in there."
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
North East Marina business owners raise concerns over marina closure
The North East marina is typically full of boats by this time of year, but this time around, the marina is almost completely empty. After a wall tumbled over in early April, the PA Fish & Boat Commission closed the marina indefinitely for repairs, and two months later, boaters are still unsure when they can get back in the water. 'I don't want to give up on North East. This has been here since 1989, I believe, and there's no reason for it to disappear. It's a great asset, and to redo it in today's money, you would never be able to afford to put this in,' said Michael Yori, a North East resident who has docked his boat at the marina for decades. Wall collapses at North East Marina leaving future in question Yori said he has already seen boaters taking their boats elsewhere, which is taking business away from the marina on East Lake there's still hope for the marina's open this summer. 'We are in the process of finalizing a sales agreement with the Authority, which will allow for repairs to move forward at the marina, and which will allow control of marina operations to be in the hands of the Authority,' said Mike Parker, communications director with the PA Fish & Boat Commission. If the North East Marina Authority takes ownership of the marina, they would be able to finish repairs on the wall themselves. North East Community Marina Authority taking over marina operations, release states But as the marina remains closed, local business owners are missing out on the high foot traffic the marina gets during the warm months. 'I think it's unfair. All the money's going to Walnut Creek and nothing's coming over here to get this fixed and opened up for the public,' said JR Fuller, owner of NECM Bait & Tackle. Fuller said he's down about $30,000 from the stall in business, but he's not the only business at the marina feeling the impacts. 'We definitely weren't expecting to be in June with no boats on the water, but so far we've been able to make it. I mean, we don't have as much business as normal, obviously. We don't have the traffic coming through, ' said Joshua Haines, co-owner of North East Marine Repair. Along with those bait and boat repair businesses struggling to stay afloat, the Blue Pike Grille just opened at the marina four days ago, and the owner says he's unsure what the future holds. PA Fish & Boat Commission provides update on Walnut Creek Marina projects 'The entire is community is anxious. We're anxious as new business owners, and the other business owners at the bait and tackle and the marine repair shop, everybody's anxious,' said Kevin Daughrity, owner of the Blue Pike Grille. There is currently no date set for the marina's reopen, but Parker says they are working 'as quickly as possible' to transfer the property to the North East Marina Authority. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Issues in social housing that Labour must tackle
The housing ombudsman's latest report recorded a significant increase in social housing repairs and maintenance complaints since 2020 (Housing ombudsman for England warns of 'simmering anger' over living conditions, 29 May). We as a sector support the ombudsman's campaign to raise awareness among tenants of routes to redress in cases where issues with their homes have not been resolved. It is also important to look at these figures in context. The increase represents one complaint upheld by the ombudsman for every 1,000 social homes. With many more residents now aware of the ombudsman's service following an ad campaign, care must be taken when drawing any conclusions from the data. Looking at action and investment in the sector, we know that the quality of social housing is improving. Housing associations have prioritised investment in their existing homes, increasing spending on repairs and maintenance by 55% since 2020, investing a record £8.8bn last year, with plans to spend a further £50bn over the next five years. Today 90% of housing association homes meet the decent homes standard, more than any other tenure, but there is work still to do and the sector is committed to ensuring that every single home is of high quality. However, cuts to social housing over many years have exacerbated quality issues, and only an increase in funding can address this long-term, as the ombudsman recognises. Some homes are in urgent need of regeneration, funding for which was cut in its entirety in 2010. In addition, overcrowding – at its highest level in 30 years – is a significant contributor to damp and mould. Financial pressures mean that by prioritising investment in existing homes, the sector is less able to build new homes, which is essential for tackling overcrowding. The upcoming spending review is a critical moment for the government to provide financial support for existing and new social HendersonChief executive, National Housing Federation It was distressing but not surprising to read your report about the dire state of the country's social housing. I live on a large estate in south London that has been severely mismanaged by a tenant management organisation (TMO) for decades. TMOs are a common system like that in place in Kensington and Chelsea before the Grenfell Tower fire, which originally aimed to hand power to residents but has become an open door for abuse. There are approximately 230 TMOs in England managing tens of thousands of properties. On our estate, repairs are left undone for months or years, many homes are filled with damp and mould, fly-tipping is out of control, vermin run wild and residents are blocked from using the community spaces. One man told me recently how he has lived without central heating for years. charges continue to escalate, and yet concierges whom these fees are meant to fund are mostly absent. Lifts are regularly out of order. Many feel anxious about the state of their flats – with the situation having a serious impact on their physical and mental health. Residents feel silenced or even threatened when they raise complaints. Anger is rising and residents are distraught. The government needs to do an urgent review of TMO law, which only seems to protect those who manage social housing estates, not those who live in damp, inadequate and rotting homes. Katherine Maxwell-RoseLondon It is no surprise that the housing ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, has highlighted 'simmering anger at poor housing conditions', and the substantial increase in tenants' complaints. But the problem of non-decent and unsafe homes isn't just confined to social housing. In the UK, 15% of homes overall – which equates to 3.7m properties – are in such a bad state of repair that they don't reach the government's minimum standards of decency. That means nearly 8 million people are living in homes that can negatively impact their health and wellbeing, with 2.6 million being 55 and over. Many of these older people are vulnerable. If you don't live in a good home, it's more or less impossible to be in good health – particularly in later life. Homes that are damp, cold and hazardous can lead to many health problems, including asthma, strokes, heart attacks and broken bones. These can have devastating consequences for individuals, and present costs and demands to the NHS and social services. And if left unchecked, the problem will get worse. In the UK, 80% of the national building stock will still be in use by 2050 – and it's already one of the oldest building stocks in Europe. We're calling on the government to make a commitment to improving the quality of cold, dangerous homes – both for social and private tenants, and for poorer homeowners – in the forthcoming national housing strategy. This should set out detailed plans to tackle poor-quality homes of all types. Looking to the future, we also need to consider new homes and make sure that they're accessible for disabled and older people. We have a moral obligation to ensure that the most vulnerable people in society live in a home that is Carole EastonChief executive, Centre for Ageing Better Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Emergency repairs sought for historical Peterborough building
Plans are under way to start emergency repairs on a historical building in Peterborough. Laurel Court stands next to Peterborough Cathedral, in Cambridgeshire, and parts of it are believed to date back to 1690, but its condition is cathedral's governing body, Chapter of Peterborough Cathedral, has now applied for listed building consent to commence repairs and surveys to the building."The condition of Laurel Court has been a significant concern for several decades, and remains in extremely poor condition," a planning document states on behalf of the Chapter. "It needs a major phase of complete repair, to deal with all of the external fabric and structural issues."Despite the recently installed flat roof (which is holding water so will not endure long), this work cannot be delayed indefinitely, and should be a fundraising priority, ideally to carry out repairs within five years."Some parts of the Grade I listed-building are understood to originate from the 17th Century, with early 18th Century extensions and 19th Century additions, such as the bay is now mostly vacant or used as storage, but the building was used as a school from 1870 and later a choir is hoped a new use for the building can be found once the structural concerns are rectified. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Urgent £640k repairs needed at crematorium
Urgent repairs costing about £640,000 are needed at a town's crematorium, according to a report. Problems with machinery at Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon, Wiltshire, began in 2022, when the heat exchanger, which cools the air leaving the three cremators so it can be filtered before exiting the building through its flues, failed. Since then, its flues and filtration system has also failed, with work also needed on the building's large canopy, cladding and tiles. Councillor Kevin Small, cabinet member for finance, is set to ask senior councillors to approve the budget for the work. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, if approved, the council will need to borrow the money. The report also said the failure of some of the parts had caused the council financial loss, with the council paying a fine of £45,000 per year because of the release of unfiltered gases. It also said repairs to fencing were needed at Whitworth Road Cemetery. "The cost of the repairs to the flues and filtration system is dependent on the scheduling of works as there are options around how the work is carried out," the report said. Taking the facility out of action could cost the council a significant sum, it said. The crematorium is expected to return a £730,000 surplus to the authority's finances in this financial year, but it only made that last year because there was a big underspend on repairs and maintenance. If councillors approve the borrowing of £640,000, the council expects to pay back £80,000 per year for 10 years. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Grieving families angry at state of cemetery Plans for natural burial site for 2,000 graves Local Democracy Reporting Service Swindon Borough Council
