A woman who has endured years of her home being plagued by a mystery cold draft could soon be getting warm this winter, after a tenants union stepped in and took up her battle with Bristol City Council.
The council house tenant, Sharon, has spent more than five years living in a house in Fishponds, Bristol, where her living room was always freezing and she couldn’t work out why. Sharon has been writing to the council’s housing department for nearly six years, and through all the processes of trying to get something done to solve the issues, but it was only when she joined tenants union ACORN Bristol in the summer that things are now happening.
Now, Bristol City Council’s housing department - faced with the threat of ACORN members from across Bristol descending on City Hall with a stereo to blast out songs from the musical Frozen - has agreed on a large scale programme of works to the house.
Read more: Bristol City Council housing officers strike over 'crisis' at City Hall
Sharon, who didn't want to be photographed, told Bristol Live that she had reached her wits’ end and couldn’t face another winter in the freezing house. “I have been having cold air coming through the house for five and a half, maybe six years,” she said.
“It’s in the lounge mainly, no matter what I tried to do and no matter how much I had the heating on. I’ve gone through all the processes I could trying to get it resolved, I’ve been to the council.
When nothing happened, I went to the ombudsman, and still nothing happened. I went to the MP as well. We still didn’t know what the problem was. It felt like it was coming from an area in my lounge, but it was so strange, it was not like a breeze, just a cold patch that never shifted and would spread out. I’ve gone through the whole complaints process with the council and nothing happened - it is beginning to impact on my health. I suffer from fatigue and being cold makes it worse. Going to the ombudsman and the MP felt like a paper exercise and nothing really happened,” she added.
ACORN got involved and were planning a demonstration at the council’s offices on a Frozen theme, but within a week, suddenly the council acted.
Bristol City Council sent Sharon a list of jobs that they promised to undertake at the home - from removing or adjusting the thresholds and door frames and windows, resealing all the windows and skirting boards, insulating the loft and fixing a defective wall.
A spokesperson for ACORN Bristol said: “We sent a demand letter, asking for a professional survey of the house, and that showed what needed to be done. In less than a week, the council have agreed to meet the demands and agreed to take the action to fix the house,” she added.
Read next:
Bristol City Council housing officers strike over 'crisis' at City Hall
Bristol mum forced naked out of home in 'distressing' eviction
Thousands of polystyrene balls blow into woman's flat every day
Renters fight back tears as they tell of trauma of Bristol housing crisis at unofficial 'commission'
Bristol housing chief branded 'a traitor' as he's booted out of community union he used to lead
Renters storm City Hall and stop housing crisis commission they were excluded from
Bristol mayor likens ACORN renters' protest to deadly Capitol attack
Follow the latest updates on this story and others like it here.
