South Kesteven District Council apologises as Riverside residents in Grantham are left without heating again

A council has apologised to residents of a block of flats, as issues with the heating system continue.

People living in Riverside flats in Welham Street, run by South Kesteven District Council, say they are without adequate heating, with two of the six boilers in need of repair.

Residents say that the issue has been ongoing for years, with some adding that this would be their fifth Christmas in the cold, and others saying it was their seventh.

Riverside resident of 30 years, Lesley Broadley, said: “It’s been like this for a long time now. It gets worse each year.

“I am a person with special needs, I’ve got mental health needs. I’ve got epilepsy and being cold brings it on.”

Peter Clawson, another Riverside resident, added: “All we want to do is know we are going to be warm in the winter.”

A meeting was organised this afternoon (Friday) by district Councillor Tim Harrison in the Riverside community room, with several SKDC officers, cabinet members and the leader Councillor Richard Cleaver, in attendance.

Coun Harrison said: “The whole point of this meeting is for residents to have a voice about what is affecting you individually.”

Residents have been provided with electric temporary heaters, but aired concerns at the meeting about the additional energy costs that arose from using them.

They explained that they had previously been promised reimbursements for these additional costs, but had not received them.

Further worries were raised over the timeframe of the reimbursements, especially for those on fixed incomes who would not be able to pay the additional costs until they were reimbursed.

Coun Harrison responded to these concerns, suggesting the possibility of residents getting fuel vouchers in advance to pay for the additional energy usage.

“Our priority is keeping you warm,” added Coun Harrison. “I have no plan of leaving you cold.”

Concerns were also raised over the effectiveness of the temporary heaters.

Lesley said: “You have to put [the temporary heaters] on the floor, and they’re not very big, so you can have them on for about 15-20 minutes, and then you have to switch them off. They only blow out the same heat as a hair dryer.”

SKDC confirmed that the heating would be off on Monday, while repairs are made to the boiler, with an engineer telling Coun Harrison that the worst case scenario would see the heating system being off all day.

Coun Harrison added that the existing heating system was “probably not fit for purpose”.

An SKDC spokesperson said: “The Riverside sheltered housing complex operates a centralised heating system with six boilers serving 90 flats.

“The recent cold spell has meant an increased demand on the system resulting in two boilers failing.

“As always, the wellbeing of tenants is always at the front of our minds and operatives were on site as soon as we were made aware of the issue.

“One of the boilers is being repaired today (Friday). Further parts are required to fix the second boiler and we are working closely with our partners to ensure that this is fixed as soon as possible.

“The heating system will function as normal when five of the six boilers are running.

Additional work is required in one of the flats to fix the heating by replacing a valve. Unfortunately, valve handles that isolate the block have been broken off by a third party.

“This means we may need to turn off the whole system on Monday (December 4) for part of the day whilst this repair is carried out. Of course, our operatives will work to try to avoid the need to turn off the whole system.

“All tenants have been notified of these planned works and have been offered electric heaters to ensure they can still effectively heat their properties.

“The council apologises for the current situation and we are working closely with tenants to keep everyone up to date, with the Housing team on site daily. Tenant welfare is a clear priority, especially in sheltered accommodation, and we have ensured temporary electric heaters are provided for affected properties.

“We have been in touch with the occupants throughout and any tenants who still have concerns are invited to call our main number 01476 406080 and ask for the Sheltered Housing team.”