Sheffield Council finally fixes 795 day overdue housing safety repair

Officers confirmed the fire safety plate on the front door of a home in a low-rise residential block was repaired on September 1 following an extremely long wait.

Details of the case were revealed in answers to councillor Sophie Thornton’s questions at full council meetings.

In a council meeting in late 2022, the council said it was considering legal action to gain access following eight failed attempts.

The latest figures showed the average waiting time for housing repairs was more than 22 days in recent months.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, chair of the housing committee, said: “There has been an increase in demand across the service over the last three months due to seasonal demand, an increase in online repair reporting and housing staff reporting repairs directly onto the repairs system.

“There are notable increases in jobs relating to damp and mould following the recent tragic case in Rochdale, and in working at heights (roof leaks and repairs) due to levels of rainfall (the service has received an increase of 921 new working at heights repairs over the last three months).”

Coun Thornton has consistently raised problems with housing repairs since she was elected in 2021. She has described it as a “horror show”.