Family Left Shivering Over Winter Because Council will Not Fix Broken Window
December 19, 2011 3:00 PM
A local family with a young toddler living on the Kinglake Estate near the Old Kent Road are being forced to endure the very cold December weather with just a thin board to cover a broken window despite repeated attempts to have Southwark Council fix the problem.
The window has been broken for over two and a half years, and the Kakar family have been given reference number after reference number but no repairs have taken place.
The problem became greater on 3rd December when the Kakars opened the window only to find that they couldn't close it again. The Kakars immediately phoned the council to ask for an emergency repair but were shocked to hear no one would come to repair it until 19 December. The family begged for someone to come sooner due to the December weather and the security risk to their flat, and the Council eventually agreed to make the repairs on 8th December. In the meantime, they sent someone to cover the window with a board, leaving a very draughty flat.
The Council then sent a workman to the Kakars' flat on the 8th December as agreed, but the family were dismayed when the he took some measurements and then left, telling them to contact the Council in two days to find out when the repairs would take place. The Kakars repeatedly contacted the Council but still received no answer, and when local MP Simon Hughes' office contacted the Council again a week later on the Kakars' behalf they were told that the Council's records showed that an engineer had visited the property, solved the problem and the case was now closed.
Tamanna Kakar, mother of 4 year old daughter Nihal, was distraught at the news. She said, 'This has been going on for four months, and it's now December- it was already cold in July and it's absolutely freezing now. My daughter used to sit in front of that window and do school work and play - now it's so cold, and I'm afraid that if there's a strong wind, the board might be blown in.'
The family have now been given yet another reference number and no date when the window will be fixed. With the threat of colder weather in the next few weeks, the family are increasingly worried for their young daughter's health.
Simon Hughes MP said, "I am appalled by the lack of care Southwark council has shown towards this young family. The family's health and security are being put at risk, and it seems that they are now back to square one with the council. It is unacceptable that such a vital repair has been ignored for so long. The council must now make sure that the window is fixed before Christmas."
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