Decent Homes tenants make 200 complaints

More than 200 council tenants have complained about builders carrying out the city's £400 million Decent Homes programme, it was revealed today.

Wolverhampton Homes has received 216 complaints about contractors, including claims workmen have damaged property while carrying out jobs such as upgrading kitchens and bathrooms.

The Citizens Advice Bureau in the city said today it had also received complaints from tenants about ruined carpets and decor.

A total of £74 million was spent on renovating council houses last year as part of the £400m deal to bring all 23,500 in the city up to modern standards.

More than half the city's homes have already been done, with the work involving 100 properties a week at a cost of £1.25m.

Dave Poyner, the 79-year-old chairman of Vauxhall Residents Association, said today the work was causing problems at the high-rise Vauxhall House in Upper Vauxhall, off Tettenhall Road.

He said: "There is no visible presence managing the situation from Wolverhampton Homes. I think you could nearly double the complaints in this area alone.

"We've had a problem with the soil stack for eight months which is causing terrible smells."

The CAB says tenants have been forced to use their curtains to protect their possessions from damage because contractors did not have adequate dust sheets.

Lesley Roberts, chief executive of Wolverhampton Homes, said overall satisfaction was around 94 per cent according to its own surveys.

"Overall complaints are very low, and there are more compliments than complaints," she said.

The group manages housing stock on behalf of the city council. Contractors Thomas Vale generated 86 complaints over the last year out of 1,702 properties, Frank Haslam Milan left 60 out of 1,698 tenants complaining and Bullock had 70 complaints referred to Wolverhampton Homes out of 1,575 jobs.