A COUNCIL house tenant in Swansea has claimed that antisocial behaviour and drug use in the vicinity is blighting her life and starting to affect her older child.
Aimee Richards now has a letter from South Wales Police which asks the council to consider moving her from her block of flats in Gendros as a priority.
She said she has forwarded the letter to the council but that it hasn’t been enough to secure a transfer to date. The council said it was supporting her and that her family is registered for a move.
Miss Richards, 22, was heavily pregnant when she moved to the third-floor flat at Weig Gardens with her partner Rhys Davey nearly three years ago. She said it was the only available option at the time and that the two-bed flat and hallway outside were clean.
But since moving in she claimed drug users frequently entered the building, that she has faced threats and experienced late-night disturbance, and said Mr Davey had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after a tragic incident involving a Weig Gardens tenant.
Miss Richards said she was stressed and exhausted. “I can no longer cope – my patience has gone now, it really has,” she said. “I just want a happy, quiet life.”
Miss Richards, who has a two-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, claimed she had found drug needles in the block and that urine and sometimes excrement were left in communal areas. She said the council swept the areas and that she tended to clean them, with bleach if necessary, on a weekly basis. “I don’t want my son accidentally putting his hand in pee,” she said.
Miss Richards said her partner worked and that taking the children up and down 42 stairs with shopping on her own was a struggle especially as she had a bad back.
The letter from police, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said it was aware of 10 reports of “serious issues” in the vicinity of Miss Richards’ home in the last two years. The letter said there was “an increasing risk of the children witnessing problem behaviour” and referenced the post-traumatic stress disorder which had affected Mr Davey.
The letter said the family needed a three-bedroom home and was open to living in most areas of Swansea. “Please could you consider a move from Aimee and Rhys as a priority,” it said.
Miss Richards said her one-year-old tended to sleep through anything but she was very concerned about the impact of late-night disturbance on her two-year-old son. “He screams and shakes,” she said.
Miss Richards claimed she has been on the housing transfer list for more than a year. Like all local authorities Swansea is facing significant housing pressures mostly outside its control. It has 13,700 properties and as of earlier this month there were 6,110 households on the waiting list and a further 1,562 tenants looking to transfer to another home.
A council spokesman said: “We take complaints about antisocial behaviour very seriously and our officers from the community liaison team, along with our neighbourhood support unit and local housing office, are continuing to support Ms Richards and her family. We also work closely with police in order for them to take action against criminal activity within our communities.
“The family are registered for a transfer to a larger property and points have been awarded to reflect their circumstances. They have been advised to also utilise Homeswapper to increase their chances of a move. Homeswapper allows social housing tenants to view properties of other social housing tenants who are looking to move.”
He said the council aimed to invest £55m in council housing, including new-builds, this year. “Our housing service is under enormous pressure with a growing number of people on our housing waiting list,” he said. “We are working hard to process requests on a priority basis in line with our housing policy and ensure those at risk of homelessness are also managed.”
