Council’s Labour leaders must apologise to family for catalogue of failure and negligence
The leader of Cardiff Council’s Liberal Democrat Group, who form the authority’s official opposition, is calling on the council’s Labour leaders to apologise to a family that suffered a catalogue of failure and negligence as highlighted in a public interest report published by the local government Ombudsman for Wales.
The recently published report was considered at a meeting of the council’s Governance and Audit Committee. It highlights how a family living in one of the city’s council properties suffered from repeated failures by the council between 2021 and 2024 to properly deal with multiple reports of a significant leak from the bathroom. This led to major issues with damp and mould in the property over a period of years, and ultimately led to a gaping hole forming in the property’s kitchen ceiling with water cascading over live electrical fittings and on to surfaces.
This was further compounded by what was described as a chaotic and dysfunctional process by which the authority considered if the family should be temporarily re-housed once the property was judged as no longer being fit for human habitation.
The Ombudsman noted that the damp and mould present in the property posed significant hazards to the health of the family, some of whom suffered from asthma. The condition of the property also impacted on the family’s mental health. The report makes clear the family had to endure months without access to a home which was fit for them to live in.
Speaking following the meeting, Councillor Rodney Berman said: “I have never read such a horrendous Ombudsman report in my time as a councillor. The way this family suffered at the hands of the council is unforgiveable. It was a clear catalogue of failure and negligence by Cardiff Council.
“I appreciate that on the recommendation of the Ombudsman, the council’s chief executive has apologised to the family affected. However, I am not aware that any of the Labour politicians in charge of the council have also done so.
“I don’t think this is good enough. We are supposed to be a ‘member-led’ council and the councillors in charge should take responsibility. I am therefore calling on the council’s leader, Huw Thomas, and the Cabinet Member for Housing, Lynda Thorne, to also apologise to this family.
“We must also ensure steps are now taken so these horrendous failures could never be repeated. I will be looking for reassurance in coming months that all the Ombudsman’s recommendations have been properly and promptly addressed.”
ENDS
Notes:
The Ombudsman’s public interest report can be found here: https://www.ombudsman.wales/public-interest-report-cardiff-council-202404828/
A webcast of the Governance and Audit Committee meeting can be viewed here: https://cardiff.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1035565