We should spend £20m. in Levelling Up funding on creating affordable rented social homes in Burnley, says former MP

The public can help decide how to use £20m. in Levelling Up funding over the next decade.

Coun. Gordon Birtwistle believes Burnley should invest it into affordable rented social properties to replace those riddled with damp and mould.

"My biggest concern is the state of the properties. Why should people live in unfit houses, especially when rents are very high?

"The North suffers the most because many mill terraces from the 1800s haven't had damp courses and have leaking rooves.

"I was born into a two-up, two-down rat-infested slum 80 years ago. I’d never have believed it would still be like that in 2024. I'm not having a go at all landlords, and the council does its best to help tenants, but these are desperate people living in properties that were unfit 30 years ago.

"There is nothing in the Government's budget for investment in the housing stock. Some of our previous Levelling Up money went into Town 2 Turf, but if you look up Belvedere Road and Leyland Road, you'll see the state of the housing and wonder why we didn't spend money on them.

"People ring me regularly to look at damp and mould. It's horrendous. Some have children sleeping in bedrooms where their bedding is damp and black. Some have damp around the electrics. Some are on antidepressants. One house has a massive hole in it. After two years, the landlord still hasn't repaired it. The tenant is frightened and won't report it to the council."

Gordon says three or four households a month turn to him after receiving a section 21 "no-fault" eviction notice from their landlord, who wishes to turn the home into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) or avoid dealing with mould and damp or other hazards following a complaint.

"Some landlords say, 'I’ll get double the rent [for creating an HMO]. Why should I be concerned?

"Some tenants fear being chucked out for complaining about mould."

Gordon cites one example of multiple children sleeping in a bedroom covered in black mould, with the landlord threatening to evict the tenant over speaking out.

"The family has nowhere else to go. They're upset."

Councils can carry out repairs and bill landlords for the work. But Gordon claims some landlords serve section 21 notices on their tenants - giving them 60 days to find a new home - to delay carrying out the work and sell their property or turn it into HMOs to bring in more income.

"There are bad tenants out there, but the people I’ve been dealing with keep their houses nice and tidy and pay their rent.

"One young single mother living in an unfit home received a section 21 last Friday. She lives two streets from her mother, who helps look after the children."

Gordon, who calls for the Government to speed up its plans to scrap section 21s, says he knows at least six people who’ve been on a waiting list for a new house for more than 12 months due to the housing shortage, despite being the highest priority.

"Where do you go? You either go to another house that is just as bad or the canal bank."