Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has seen the successful resolution of a very serious casework issue.
Maire contacted Richard regarding the property in which she was living with her two children. Maire had been living there for a year and she and her children loved the house – particularly as it was well-located for her children’s school. However, the house did not have a bathroom – only a ‘wet room’, meaning that the family had to visit other family members to wash, which caused them an enormous amount of stress.
Maire enquired about putting in a bath herself but was told that the renovations and installation would cost thousands of pounds. Richard’s office made some urgent enquiries with the local housing manager, as they had previously told Maire there was nothing they could do, and it was completely up to her to organise and pay for. They suggested that she apply for a grant through Durham County Council. Richard’s office also got in touch with Durham County Council, who wrote a letter of support for Maire and recommended the provision of a bath with over-bath shower. The landlord was then contacted with this information and a submission of recommendation was made to the Home Improvements Agency, who were dealing with the grant application.
Richard’s office contacted the landlord to stress that this recommendation had been made and to push for their consent and assistance in the matter. However, weeks later, the bathroom had still not been sorted out, meaning it had been months of Maire and her family being unable to wash at home. The case appeared to have come to a standstill and Richard’s office continued to push for an update about why the case was taking so long.
After more than six months of Richard’s office pushing the issue on Maire’s behalf, it was finally decided by Maire’s landlord that they would fit a new bathroom for her and it was also decided that Maire would be able to choose the bathroom suite that she would like to ensure it was the right one for her and her family’s needs.
Commenting, Richard said:
“I am so pleased we were able to help Maire in this case. This was a difficult and ongoing case that took us over six months to resolve and the situation was causing huge amounts of undue stress to Maire and her family, who were not informed of updates and not told when a decision would be made.
“Maire had done all she could to get the issue resolved herself but was eventually told she would have to spend thousands of her own money on a bathroom herself. My team were able to get involved and push for the outcome Maire needed and deserved.
“I am really pleased that Maire is getting a new bathroom as it will take a huge amount of stress off her and means she and her family will be able to enjoy their home as they should be able to. I wish Maire all the best.”
To hear more about the work that Richard is doing for North West Durham, you can sign up here or input your details in the form on this page.