Lincoln residents await 1,500 council home repairs amid shortages

Some council house residents in Lincoln are experiencing delays to crucial repairs as the City of Lincoln Council currently has a backlog of 1,500 jobs.

The repair numbers are consistent with pre-COVID figures and the severe disruptions on the UK’s construction sector has also had a big impact.

The city council’s building supplier said there have been issues in the supply chain. The council said a small percentage of customers are waiting slightly longer for planned repairs for reasons.

In a social media post, the City Council said: “Due to the events of the past 18 months, the UK’s construction sector is currently facing severe and sustained disruptions with its supply of various materials including timber, insulations, adhesives and plasterboard.

“Unfortunately, this is having an impact on our housing repairs service and has resulted in some delays in carrying out repairs to homes. Regrettably, it looks likely that this will continue until the national shortage of materials is resolved.

“Our building suppler has told us: ‘We are aware of the importance of getting you everything you need when you need it. However, sometimes our suppliers inform us of issues in the supply chain, which means that some products may not be as readily available as we would hope’.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and want you to know that we are doing all we can to be able to carry out your repairs in line with the normal processes.”

The Lincolnite asked the city council how many homes in Lincoln are awaiting repairs and how long the delays are.

Daren Turner, Director for Housing and Investment at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We currently have around 1,500 repairs in our system, which is consistent with the pre-Covid figures for our housing stock.

“We are aware that a small percentage of these customers are waiting slightly longer for planned repairs, but this is limited in numbers. These tend to be tenants waiting for repairs involving insulation and plaster works. This is due to a national shortage of materials.

“The message we have issued on our social media channels is in response to our building material supplier giving us warning there may be some ongoing disruption to their supplies. We are working closely with them to try and pre-empt any delays and are keeping tenants informed of the potential for delays taking place.”