Multiple failures in flood response

Newark and Sherwood Homes has been accused of multiple failures over the way it handled the situation faced by elderly residents whose homes were flooded in Southwell in the summer.

Mr Julian Hamilton, a Southwell town and district councillor, said on Monday that although there had initially been a good reaction to the problems faced by residents on Potwell Close there were significant failures afterwards.

He said there had been a complete failure to communicate with residents for several days, a failure to programme the flood damage work because of the decision to use sub-contractors rather than in-house staff and a failure to deal with vulnerable people.

He said: “One person had to be moved around several times. Newark and Sherwood Homes should have taken more care.”

Mr Hamilton took issue with a report presented to a meeting of the district council’s homes and communities committee in which it said that tenants of the properties affected had been supported intensively by Newark and Sherwood Homes.

The committee chairman, Mr Bruce Laughton, said Newark and Sherwood Homes needed to be asked what lessons had been learned from the situation. It was agreed to ask them to attend the next meeting.

Lisa Lancaster, the council’s community safety business manager, said that work to repair damage caused by flooding to properties belonging to Newark and Sherwood Homes in Potwell Close and Easthorpe had been finished ahead of schedule in November.

Tenants who had been moved to alternative accommodation had returned to their own homes by December, with the exception of one who had asked for a move.

She said the Newark and Sherwood Homes board had met in October to discuss the situation.

She said it had been agreed to formulate a protocol with the district council for emergency planning; increase communication with local councillors over significant events; increase the use of written information with tenants and to consider using mechanisms that would stop water coming into homes susceptible to flooding.

A spokesman for Newark and Sherwood Homes said they were pleased that the refurbishment works in Potwell Close were completed ahead of schedule and that all tenants were back in their homes before Christmas.

“We acted quickly and effectively and in the best interest of tenants and residents to support them and ensure repairs were carried out to properties within the agreed time frame.” said the spokesman.

“There are always lessons that can be learned from an incident like this and we have recognised areas for improvement as part of our commitment to continually raising the standards of the service we deliver.”