Jul 07 - GSD Highlight Poor Housing Conditions At Lime Kiln Steps
The Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Feetham, and the Chairman of the GSD, Trevor Hammond were invited to visit the area of Lime Kiln Steps by residents to see their "appalling" living conditions.
Mr Feetham and Mr Hammond said they were appalled at the living conditions experienced by two families in the Government apartments, who have had water coming in through their kitchen and bathroom ceilings for the past eight years. They were told more than 20 contractors have come by to see what needs to be done, but no work has started on the area yet. Other problems faced by the families with young children are damp conditions in their flat, raw sewage leaks on the steps outside, missing manhole covers leaving high voltage cables exposed, instead covered with a piece of chipboard to avoid any falls.
The GSD explains that these individuals were promised by the GSLP when in Opposition that these works would take place and that has not happened and adds that while the works to refurbish estates is laudable, it is important that the plight of Government tenants in these far less high profile and visible areas is not forgotten and that the Government takes responsibility for ensuring healthy living conditions.
The Leader of the Opposition said, “I want to apologise personally because we had four years in which to do these works and that did not happen, but the Government has now been in administration for four years.
"The GSD very rarely does what the GSLP did in habitually referring to individual cases in political exchanges but these families have done everything they can to approach the Government, its departments and authorities to get their problem sorted out and this has not happened.
"This has included emails to the Chief Minister himself which remain unanswered. As we near the end of their four years in office I call on the Government to honour their promise to these families. Their plight, and honouring promises to them is as important as some of the more complex issues we have been debating in recent months.”
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