Halifax Courier

Residents living in limbo in flats

- Tom Scargill tom.scargill@halifaxcou­rier.co.uk @HXCourier

Residents in a Halifax tower block say they are in despair and need help after nearly two years of living with scaffoldin­g outside their homes.

Albion Court, in Halifax town centre, is home to more than 100 people and is run by Together Housing.

But residents say they are fed up with feeling uncertain over whether they will be able to continue living there and at the faulty lifts in the building.

Joanne Farrell, 50, who has lived in Albion Court since 2019, said: "The scaffoldin­g is up for safety reasons which we're unsure why.

"The scaffoldin­g has been there for nearly two years and we've not been told when it’s going be taken down.

"They're not willing to tell us if they're going to repair our flats or pull the building down.

"The residents feel in limbo because we don’t know what is happening and there are a lot of elderly people who are worried.

"As residents, we're stuck, we can't decorate in case they move us out.

"Also, our lift got fixed a few weeks ago after being out of order for four weeks only for it to break down again.

"There are a lot of residents with mobility issues and they're struggling. We have scooters but can't use them due to the lift, we're all in despair.

"We are disappoint­ed with Together Housing."

In response to the residents' concerns, George Paterson, executive director of property at Together Housing, said: “The welfare and safety of our residents is paramount to us which is why we have carried out a detailed review of Albion Court.

"We have written to all residents regarding the scaffoldin­g and will continue to complete regular inspection­s to ensure its safety.

“We have carried out work to fix the lift and we would like to thank residents for their continued patience during this process.

"We’re deeply sorry for the inconvenie­nce this has caused and can reassure residents that we are always there to offer support if they have any further concerns about this. “We’re making sure we are available to all Albion Court residents during this time, both over the phone and in person.

"We will provide another update later this month to ensure all residents are well informed and up to date as we make progress.”

 ?? ?? Joanne Farrell outside Albion Court, Halifax.
Joanne Farrell outside Albion Court, Halifax.
 ?? ?? Scaffoldin­g on Albion Court, Halifax.
Scaffoldin­g on Albion Court, Halifax.

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