Wigan Council say they are ‘taking mould and damp issues seriously’

They have responded after a 21-year-old resident believed the concerns he had raised with Wigan Council over mould in his flat on the Higher Folds estate were being ignored.

That complaint triggered a further response from a resident of the estate who claimed there was a ‘widespread problem’ of damp and mould in many of the properties on the estate.

However, when the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the properties he listed, the issues had been, or were being, dealt with.

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property" style="width: 100%;"> Ryan Clorley raised concerns about mould at his council property (Image: LDRS)
As previously reported by the Journal, jobless Ryan Clorley said he had made repeated complaints over mould on the walls of the bedroom and bathroom as well as on the doors and curtains of the home on Sunningdale Grove.

That prompted James Morley of Balmoral Drive, Higher Folds, to get in touch. Mr Morley has stood unsuccessfully four times as an Independent candidate for Wigan Council.

He said he has worked alongside former Conservative councillor Edward Houlton to highlight damp and mould problems at Higher Folds. Mr Houlton lost his seat on Wigan council in the 2022 local council elections.

Mr Houlton said: “For at least a year, I went down there (to Higher Folds) every Friday and saw between five and 10 houses at a time where the mould was atrocious [this is about one-and-a-half years ago].

“There are houses and flats there with babies in them and there’s black mould all over the walls. 

“I don’t know whether it’s a design fault in those properties. Some of it is probably people not ventilating their homes. When I was a councillor I spent months trying to get Wigan council to do something about it.”

Mr Morley gave the LDRS three more addresses where mould has been an issue – in Royal Drive, Kensington Drive and Crown Grove.

But when we visited these properties, the residents said work had been undertaken to deal with the problems – including the application of antifungal paint.

Particularly bad cases reported in Balmoral Drive and Royal Drive last yearv (Image: Contributed)
Responding to the concerns a spokesperson for Wigan Council said the authority is ‘committed to providing our tenants with homes that are warm, healthy, and free from damp, mould, and condensation’.

They went on: “We always take reports of these issues very seriously. Over the last 18 months we have made great progress in tackling cases of damp and mould and have introduced a task force group dedicated to delivering an action plan and implementing recommendations from the public inquiry.

“We’ve made it easier for tenants to report issues and have established a referral process for professionals.

“Every report we receive is logged, acted upon and followed up, with cases posing the highest risk prioritised. In addition to resolving immediate issues, we’re committed to tackling the root causes of damp and mould with routine follow-up inspections to ensure the effectiveness of treatment.”