“We have been waiting for 6 months for Sheffield City Council to fix our ceiling, it’s driving us insane”

Tony Hill, aged 43, has been living at Fox Hill Crescent, Sheffield, for almost 10 years with his disabled wife and their six children, aged between 10 and 19.

Since January, the family has been waiting for Sheffield City Council to fix their ceiling in their maisonette after water began pooling above it following a leak in the balcony in late January.

The ceiling in the hallway was removed to dry out and the balcony was fixed in the spring - but the family has been left with unsightly ceiling joists above their heads.

It is now the coldest room in the house, and has worsened Tony’s wife’s sciatica. He is her full-time carer.

Tony said: “When it's damp and cold, it's the worst time for her. She’s slowly but surely getting worse. In the winter time when she’s cold she really struggles and has to use wheelchair from time to time, or walk with a walking stick.

“You could see your breath in the hallway in July it was that cold. There’s no point putting the heating on because it’ll go straight through the ceiling.”

‘It’s embarrassing’

He added that it is “embarrassing” for the family, with his daughter no longer wanting to bring her friends round. He said: “When people come round for a cup of tea they say, ‘Hasn't your roof been done yet?’ We’re telling people over and over again it’s getting done at the weekend.”

Contractors from the council have made at least 11 visits since January to take photos of the repairs that need to be made, only to reschedule another visit. They have now been given a new date for the repairs in mid October. 

Tony said: “I’ve said to [the council] I’ll get the lads in, I know a bloke who can do it. They say ‘no you can’t do it, we have to do it so we know it’s safe’. Come and do it then.”

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Chair of the Housing Committee, said it took the repairs teams several visits to determine the source of the water leak from the balcony, which was reportedly fixed in June.

He added: “Initial repairs were carried out at the property and further works have been booked in to complete the subsequent plastering.

“As a council we appreciate that waiting times for repairs can be a frustrating experience for tenants. Demand on our social housing is particularly high at this time, and we are working hard to get through all the logged repairs that we can with our teams.

“As one of the largest social landlords in the country, Sheffield City Council is committed to providing the highest quality housing we can.”