Croydon mum hits out at bad council flat

Gemma Parker has lived in Longheath Gardens for the past seven years and says she has repeatedly told Croydon Council about the problems with her flat.

She says it has affected her mental health so badly she has considered taking her own life – as she suffers from depression.

Gemma lives with her son Max, three, who has asthma and eczema, something she thinks is made worse from the damp in the flat.

When it rains water runs from the balcony above into the hallway, bedroom and bathroom of  the one-bedroom flat.

Gemma Parker has lived in Longheath Gardens for the past seven years

Gemma has recently moved Max into the living room where he sleeps on a bed behind the sofa as it it the least affected by damp.

The 38-year-old said that Max regularly gets chest infections meaning he misses a lot of nursery, she is worried about the impact on his development.

She said: “They have come and done work on it but the problem keeps coming back.

“In March 2020 water was pouring down the walls, you were getting an electric shock if you put your hand on the tiled bathroom wall.

“The structural integrity of the block has gone, it doesn’t really matter what happens.”

The 38-year-old says she cleans the mould and repaints her walls nearly weekly to keep it looking nice.

This year, Gemma got the Children’s Commissioner involved in her case.

In April a senior child rights adviser for the commissioner wrote to Croydon Council requesting the family are moved as soon as possible .

The letter said: “These conditions cannot be deemed acceptable for a young child, whose environment has significant impact on his ability to thrive, and it seems his mother has genuinely tried all other avenues.”

Gemma says she has been advised by the council to use HomeSwapper, an online service to swap council housing.

But the mum says she would not feel comfortable letting another person live in the flat due to the long-term problems she does not believe can be fixed.

Gemma used to work at Holland and Barratt and is interested in a new career as a gardener after transforming her own garden.

She is also a keen artists and created colourful signs which adorn the outside of her house – she says this hobby has kept her going throughout the pandemic.

Gemma is supported by her friend of more than 20 years Ellie Mackay who has been writing to the council and local politicians on her behalf.

Maintenance work regularly has to take place at the flat in the winter and Ellie says she comes to sit with her friend as workmen going in and out of the her home makes her anxiety worse.

She said: “I am really concerned about her and I am concerned about Max.

“Why are the council putting people in the position that they are actually contemplating suicide because of the places they live, these are people who they have a duty of care to.”

A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “We’ve completed a number of repairs and treated damp in response to this family’s concerns, and are looking at what more we can do to help.”

Editors note 21/07/21:  The original copy of this story contained a line reporting that Parker claimed to have been awarded £2,100 in compensation. This was not further substantiated  and has been removed.