Gritty Response from Council housing teams

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing teams have been out across the borough helping tenants in the difficult conditions.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing staff have been working hard this week to support vulnerable residents during the severe weather.

An RBH engineer’s response prevented 16 frail elderly residents from being moved into emergency accommodation after a burst on the central heating system at Springhill Resource Centre.

In Heywood, two caretakers, Carl Wild and Ian Lord, helped a resident by clearing a bad flood from her home, whilst John Tilby of the RBH’s Repair Team responded to fix the pipe.

Ian Agnew, RBH’s Chairman, said: “Many RBH staff have been involved in the effort to keep tenants safe during the severe weather. Just a few are mentioned here. All have worked in very difficult conditions and I would like to thank them for their efforts and also thank tenants and residents for their support.”

In Rochdale South and Pennines, the Estate Caretaking Team has been working in partnership with the Youth Offending Team to clear pathways on Kirkholt and the Strand shopping area. They have responded to numerous calls for help, with support from the Roofing Team, and caretakers have also ensured bins have been emptied where no refuse collection has been possible.

The Rochdale North and Heywood Estate Caretaking Teams have cleared ice and snow from areas around sheltered housing schemes and have gritted paths around bungalows and flats on estates.

Jane Howard, Communications Manager at RBH, said that team members have hand-gritted estates in Heywood and Rochdale to ensure access for council refuse wagons, and have also helped to dig out cars. On Martin Lane, they cleared a path for a 96-year-old man.

Members have also been checking on vulnerable tenants, offering to shop for essential food, whilst RBH’s Central Heating Engineers have worked round the clock to support residents, with additional help from contractor JA Finnerty.

In Middleton, resident Ian Harlow, who is also chairman of the Staffing-sub Committee, said: “I obviously receive reports on the performance of our staff, but on 5 January, I was forced to go on foot to our local shops in a horrendous blizzard and was amazed to spot one of our RBH staff in Alkrington driving through treacherous conditions.

“He told me he wasn’t based locally, but had been asked to drive several miles to help overcome the particular problems caused by the harsher weather Middleton was experiencing. It was good to see first hand that RBH and its staff were taking a borough-wide view and putting its resources into all areas of need.”