Cladding fears hit residents’ mental health
CAMPAIGNERS have raised concerns over the mental health impact on residents living in buildings with combustible cladding.
Thousands of people across Wales live in buildings wrapped in dangerous cladding or with other fire safety issues, according to the Wales Leaseholder Action Group.
The Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, in which 72 people died, led to fears of fire safety problems in similar buildings across the country, including several in Cardiff.
In Wales, residents have been left to foot the bill for work to make their homes safe, while in England the Government announced a £1bn fund to pay for remediation work.
The fears of safety and expensive costs have left many residents struggling with mental health, according to the campaigners.
To find out the exact impact, the Wales Leaseholder Action Group is surveying residents about their mental health.
A similar survey by the UK Cladding Action Group found devastating damage done to residents’ mental health. Nine out of 10 people responding to the survey said their mental health had deteriorated, while 23% reported suicidal feelings or desires to self-harm.
Cerys Owen, who set up the Welsh action group, said: “People don’t realise how big an impact it is on mental health.
“We focus a lot on the safety aspect and the monetary aspect.
“But all that comes back to impacting people mentally.
“We want to reach all those people impacted in Wales and let them know they are not alone. We’re all going through the same thing.
“We need to band together and fight it together, instead of fighting in silence.”
A recent Freedom of Information request revealed there are 21 buildings which still have cladding that does not conform with building safety regulations in the area covered by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Ms Owen said she wanted the campaign to “reach as many people as we can” with the survey.
The action group plans to use the results from the survey and publish a report detailing exactly how the Welsh cladding scandal is impacting the mental health of affected residents.