While summer heatwaves are a source of excitement for many, for residents in Sutton's Balaam House, they are feared. Creeping temperatures that 'cook' the 60-flat tower block have already caused some residents to suffer heat-related illness, including vomiting, with several temporarily rehoused. Now, as temperatures are forecast to exceed 30C in the coming days, residents are bracing for the worst as they call on the local authority to act.
'When people say enjoy the heat, I think that's alright for you,' said resident Rhonda Scott. 'Why don't you come down to Balaam House and say that?' Rhonda is one of at least 100 residents living in the 1960s-built tower block on the Collingwood Estate, who have reported experiencing temperatures of up to 35C within their Sutton Council-owned flats. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Rhonda said: 'If it's 32C outside, it will be 35C in here. My fear is what this heat is going to do to people here this summer.'
Residents, many of whom are on low incomes or are vulnerable due to age, disability or health conditions, attribute the excessive indoor temperatures to the building's cladding, which they say traps heat and prevents it from dissipating. As a result, residents living on the east-facing side of the tower have told the LDRS that in the summer months they are awoken around 4am by temperatures reaching 30C.
Nearmin Saadia and her young children experience this every morning. 'It's hot here in the morning and then by the afternoon my kitchen (facing the other way) gets extremely hot,' she said. 'We have to wait until noon to get anything done. It's very tiring.' Saadia said this heat has affected her sleep, flared up her health problems and frustrated her young children.
When the LDRS visited fellow resident Mick Durand's flat on the upper floors, the rise in temperature was immediately noticeable. When asked how he coped during the recent heatwave, Mick told the LDRS: 'It was awful.' He said he is now dreading the coming heatwave, with temperatures expected to exceed 33C according to the Met Office.
Saadia and Mick were just two of many claiming to experience extreme discomfort from the heat, as councillor and NHS nurse Alison Long discovered when she first visited Balaam House. Cllr Long told the LDRS how she had been delivering leaflets for another candidate during the local election when Rhonda 'ran out and stopped her'.
Cllr Long is one of Sutton's two Reform councillors, recently elected to represent the St Helier West ward. 'I remember the heat that time,' she said, referring to her first encounter with the Balaam residents during the May heatwave. She said she wanted to conduct a health assessment of each resident, as she had seen people vomiting and being unable to keep food down. 'It was so hot that people were getting goosebumps when they came outside,' she said.
She told the LDRS that she was 'overwhelmed' by what she had seen. Visibly concerned by the residents' plight, she added: 'I have got this horrible fear of a fatality here. Your home is meant to be your sanctuary, but I feel it's making these people feel ill.' On Friday, Cllr Long recorded an internal temperature of 32C. She also fears this will rise in the coming days.
Residents we met spoke of their appreciation for the councillor's support, including her success in temporarily rehousing some tenants in hotels during the last heatwave. Rhonda said: 'She has not left our side for the last four weeks,' while fellow resident Kelly described her as a 'guardian angel'.
Balaam House is owned by Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP), an arm's-length organisation that manages housing on behalf of Sutton Council. Yet residents were united in their criticism of SHP, pointing to its handling of tenants concerns and its record on carrying out internal repairs. Though SHP says it has installed heat sensors and offered cooling fans to households after reports of heat issues.
Nearmin gave the example of SHP providing residents with tower fans to cope with the heat, but said these simply circulate warm air and add to energy costs rather than addressing the underlying problem. Fellow resident Gemma said: 'We have to pay for extra electricity... there is never any money spare after all this.' Acknowledging these additional bills, Cllr Long commented: 'People here are on low income; they can't splash out.'
Residents also complained about SHP's record on household repairs. Rajesh Malhotra has been living in a nearby hotel since leak damage ruined his bathroom and left him without electricity from early June. The smell and feeling of damp were immediate when we stepped through his door. 'This whole building is a death trap,' he said. 'I said to my wife, I am not going to pay my rent because they are not holding up their part of the contract.'
Shireen Lowing, who lives in the block with her partner and three children, said water damage had also ruined her bathroom and caused laminate flooring to lift up, causing a trip hazard. She also told the LDRS how she had resorted to using shoelaces to secure windows while awaiting a repair from SHP. Elsewhere, residents noted that the block's two ageing lifts often broke down, leaving those in wheelchairs or with mobility issues stranded. They felt the problem was made worse by the fact that the 18-storey building is served by only one narrow stairwell.
Despite the range of reported issues at Balaam House, residents claim SHP are dismissive of their concerns. Rhonda said management often became 'really angry whenever we query' issues. 'It's like we are the forgotten part of Sutton,' she added. However, despite these challenges the residents remain united, and say they will continue to raise their voices until change is made in the tower block they call home. Alex, a younger resident, told the LDRS: 'We can't rely on who we're supposed to rely on, so we rely on each other.'
A spokesperson for SHP said: 'Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP) has been carrying out welfare visits to all Balaam House residents to make sure they have sufficient cooling systems in place now that the warm weather is upon us. 52 cooling fans have been delivered to 40 households and the other 15 tenant households who have not taken up the offer have been contacted to remind them that the offer is still open should they require a cooling fan. Other mitigations SHP is undertaking include writing to all residents to offer them heat sensors to track indoor temperatures in their homes. This then helps SHP to determine and prioritise those homes in need of more intensive cooling systems such as air conditioning. To date, 25 properties in Balaam House have heat sensors in them.'
The spokesperson added: 'SHP has an extensive repairs and maintenance programme and the council has recently given the go-ahead for plans to invest over 1 million to install a new boiler house. Residents can request repairs via telephone to SHP, online or by email. Over the last year SHP has completed 267 repairs in Balaam House. SHP is committed to providing the highest standards of customer care to our residents. If we fall short of this in any way, we encourage residents who are not happy with the service we have delivered to let us know, and we will try to fix what has gone wrong. The quality of our management and resident engagement was recently validated by the Regulator of Social Housing, which conducted a full inspection of the council and SHP, awarding a C1 rating—the highest possible judgment for housing consumer standards.'
