Mould, damp and condensation problems in Gateshead's council houses have improved - but fuel poverty and housing defects continue to raise concerns.
Gateshead Council has received reports of 1,712 cases of damp, mould and condensation in its social housing - 1,228 were reported since last winter.
According to council documents, 1,143 cases of damp, mould and condensation have been resolved. As of May, 525 mould washdowns have also been conducted and 366 others completed.
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Ian McLackland, service director of repairs and building maintenance at Gateshead Council, said: "There are around 600 that are still in the process for a mixture of reasons. There are properties with inherent defects from when the property was built, which means it is very difficult to prevent damp, mould and condensation.
"Those properties get referred to another team to see if any broader changes can be made street-wide or estate-wide. We will do anything we can on an individual property, including additional insulation, ventilation, updated radiators, and so on.
"We refer cases to the housing team for various different kinds of advice including fuel poverty."
In some serious cases, the council's housing department will install 'Positive Input Ventilation Units' (PIVs) to stop damp, mould or condensation. PIVs continuously supply fresh filtered air from outside to reduce the chances of damp, mould or condensation developing.
However, a PIV can add an extra £30 a year to a resident's energy bill and councillors were concerned this could stop people from using them as often as they should. Gateshead locals who are living in fuel poverty can receive support from the council to help run their PIVs if necessary.
Councillors were also told by council officers that PIVs were becoming increasingly difficult to get their hands on.
Coun Gallagher of Lamsely said: "I think we have to acknowledge that our council houses have some of the poorest people in them and at a time of increasing energy costs we have to factor that into any consideration."
Mr McLackland also said there remains a "handful" of council tenants whose lifestyle choices make it difficult to treat such problems in their homes. The service director of repairs continued to say if such tenants keep refusing to help the council help them it could result in legal action.
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