Bedford council working with housing providers to reduce health impact of damp and mould

Ian Brown, chief officer for public health, told the Health and Wellbeing Board (Tuesday, January 28): “There was a very sad report this morning, through the House of Commons Library, about the deaths of very young children in temporary accommodation across the country in the last five years.

“It’s really really important that we address these things.”

He explained that the council was looking at how its housing associations are “improving pathways so that damp and mould issues are getting sorted” and ensuring residents’ underlying health conditions were being recognised during the process.

He added: “Also making sure that when health professionals are identifying issues with damp and mould that may be contributing to asthma or other respiratory illness, or other conditions, that those are being effectively communicated back to the housing association so that they’re able to do something about it.”

The report said housing staff will receive training – including the repairs teams – which will include a set of questions to ask residents when they are contacted for help.