Bridgend council faces £1m repair bill over insulation work

A council could face a repair bill in excess of £1m after a report found a firm run by a local councillor carried out "poor workmanship" on homes.

Bridgend council awarded a £300,000 contract to Green Renewable Wales Ltd, to carry out insulation work on 70 houses in Caerau near Maesteg in 2012.

The director was Labour councillor Phil White who has stepped down as a cabinet member. He has declined to comment.

The council said it had referred itself to a public services watchdog.

An independent report estimates costs to be £16,000 a household.

The work was part of a Welsh Government scheme to address fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.

Rhiannon Goodall, 37, had Green Renewable Wales carry out work on her home through the scheme in 2012, which included a new boiler and wall insulation.

"Initially when they carried out the work I thought 'this is great'," she said.

"For the first month or so it all seemed fine, but then the boiler went wrong.

"The flue outside had also been installed incorrectly.

"It all seemed like a catalogue of errors."

The Arbed 1 national domestic energy efficiency programme was designed to help people struggling to pay their fuel bills living in some of Wales' poorest areas.

However, after the programme was completed in Caerau - one of the most deprived areas in Wales - numerous complaints were made regarding internal and external wall insulation work.

The report said: "The external wall insulation and internal wall insulation on all 32 properties surveyed exhibited issues associated with poor workmanship and/or materials."

Rhiannon, who lives in the house with her 10-year-old daughter Lili May, and husband Wayne, who is disabled, says an inspection revealed the insulation was incorrectly fitted and led to water leaking and freezing in the winter, causing damp throughout the house.

"It's frustrating and disheartening," she said.

"I've not painted my kitchen walls now for five years because it just peels right back off in a matter of weeks and it just looks atrocious.

"My husband is disabled and on a breathing machine at night, so anything with mould isn't good for his health."

Rhiannon, who has lived in the property for 13 years, added: "I get up in the morning and clean up the paint that has peeled off overnight or see what patches have appeared.

"It becomes routine. I've spent £10,000 so far on repairs.

"I know of several other people who have been affected like me, but they're elderly so they can't do the work I've done or don't have the money to spend to rectify the problems."

An independent report by NuVision Energy Wales estimated costs to be £16,000 a household based on a sample of 32 homes in Caerau which had work carried out as part of the scheme.

It revealed significant problems ranging from staining and algae forming with poorly-fitted guttering, to the faulty sealing of service pipes and window sills which resulted in damp and mould.

But the main problems were with internal and external wall insulation work.

The council said it had referred itself to the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales and further reports from its audit department would be delivered in the new year.

Independent Bridgend councillor Steve Bletsoe says people in Caerau are "very angry" about the contract worth £315,875 awarded to the company which has since been put into liquidation.

He said: "They've been fighting this just to have their homes in a liveable condition when they signed up to a deal that was meant to improve their insulation and reduce the costs of their bills.

"They deserve answers."

Deborah Evans, 61, who has lived in the same house in Caerau for more than 40 years, and her mother who also lives on the same street, said they had both been affected by the work carried out.

"They said I'd save money on heating bills, but my kitchen and sitting room are now freezing," she said.

"I've got wallpaper hanging off the walls because of the damp. I've tried repairing it but it just falls away.

"I've got to live with this every day and it just really brings me down."

A spokesman for the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales said: "A complaint was received that Bridgend County Borough Councillor, Philip White, may have breached his authority's code of conduct".

"The complaint is currently being investigated."

When approached, Mr White said he would not comment while the ombudsman's investigation was ongoing.

In a statement, Bridgend council said: "Following the recent report on the effectiveness of the Arbed 1 scheme, the council is contacting relevant organisations to establish whether a consistent approach can be agreed.

"Once those discussions have concluded, a further report will be taken to cabinet to provide an update and to outline available options.

"A report will also be presented to the next meeting of the governance and audit committee following an extended piece of work which has provided reassurance around the authority's overall management and procurement processes for external grants."