Repairs in part of Tower Hamlets
During the last twenty years LBTH have done very little maintenance work on my block.
They replaced the windows because the original frames had not been painted and got to the stage of falling out.
The replacement windows were satisfactory but most of the residents had a number of unglazed panels fitted which reduced the amount of light into their rooms. The insides were not trimmed in my kitchen which gave the whole thing an unfinished look.
In the whole period the road gullies have not been cleared so water is very slow to run away.
A new parking scheme was built with low metal posts which are very difficult to see from inside a car and many (cars) have been damaged even when the drivers were warned about the posts. The new scheme allows for 17 cars whereas before 21 cars had parked without using the pavement. There are 24 maisonettes in the block.
Assigning spaces to individuals means that there is no provision for visitors. The system of prepaid tickets is very inefficient because the tickets are for individual locations which must increase the printing costs. They are only available for a limited time which means that you are likely to pay for tickets that you may not use.
My property was damaged by water ingress from above. The council made some sort of repair but I had to rely upon my own resources for redecoration and replacing damaged clothes and carpets. 'My' new ceiling (which according to the lease is the responsibility of the council) was subsequently damaged by a recurrence of the flood. Work has been done on the roof and cold water tanks but the area has been infested with pigeons so that it is unhealthy to to go up there.
On one occasion I reported a broken glass balcony panel and that was replaced promptly as a health hazard (though with no reference back to me). I have seen similar panels on another block which were simply left.
The paint on the soffits outside the flats is a disgrace and has been peeling off for years.
An area of 'face' brickwork beside the staircase at 'my' end of the block had some large graffiti on it. Instead of removing the graffiti the whole area was painted with brown paint intended for some metal doors nearby.
To my mind the effect of the council's handiwork was worse than the graffiti and may have long term implications for the life of the brickwork. The metal doors to the bin store have had their hinges 'repaired' in such a way that the doors cannot be closed. This 'repair' has been carried out several times but never properly.
I consider that the cost of administration should be related to the money spent on doing things to the block like cleaning and repairs. As for cleaning I do not think that it is done properly in the old days people looked after their own cleaning but these days people are less fussy and let most councils away with very poor standards especially in the matter of food wrappers and dog shit.
John Winney.
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