COUNCIL FACES RESIDENTS IN EXPLOSIVE MEETING ON ASBESTOS IN ESTATE HOMES

3 July 2009

David Yuill
dyuill@southwarknews.org

EXCLUSIVE
Southwark Council has met with residents over asbestos fears on a string of Rotherhithe estates.

Town Hall bosses told the meeting at the Tenants’ and Residents’ Hall on the Silverlock Estate on Monday night that Southwark had acted 'properly' and 'within the law', despite not informing new tenants and leaseholders that their homes may contain asbestos.

The 50-strong crowd from the Westlake, Hawkestone and Silverlock estates were frustrated that many of their questions were left unanswered and that the survey, data and information the council holds on asbestos on its estates were not available.

As part of the major works programme, the council employed contractors Lenguard to carry out extensive works to the kitchens, bathrooms and electrics in hundreds of homes.

Part of this work included the removal of asbestos-containing material from the properties.
A resident on Westlake has since called for the asbestos database to be made public by the council, in a bid for complete transparency for residents.

One mother of two young girls pleaded: "Can somebody please tell me why I wasn't told? I moved into my flat back in November and I scrutinised the tenancy agreement from top to bottom. There is nothing in there telling me that my floors, ceilings and walls have asbestos in them.

"Where is the asbestos? How dangerous is it and what are you going to do with it?"
Bermondsey MP Simon Hughes is set to call for the government to tighten its laws and force local authorities, like Southwark, to include asbestos warnings into all new and existing tenancy agreements.

"As well as looking at changing national laws," Mr Hughes said, "I am keen to make sure that Southwark locally has the best possible policies and management around asbestos issues. I have, therefore, requested a meeting with the Executive Member for Housing [Kim Humphreys] to discuss local public fears about asbestos in Southwark Council estates and to talk about how advice to residents about asbestos can be made more clear."

In a private letter to Cllr Humphreys, seen by the 'News', Mr Hughes then demands a list of the blocks and properties within his constituency that are known to contain asbestos.

The council was inundated with personal requests for asbestos checks in their homes and intends to work harder to make more information available. Dan Hollis, Southwark's head of property, said: "We must improve, we must get better data and we must make people more aware. I haven't got anything to hide on asbestos and we must be transparent."

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