Residents at Hathersage Court have struggled to keep warm. ‘We feel let down,’ said Maria McCarthy, above

RESIDENTS who were promised an updated heating system say they have been left to suffer from “unbearable” cold as temperatures drop below freezing.

Councils tenants at Hathersage Court in Newington Green have spent years complaining that a temporary heating system in their block is not up to par.

As snow fell outside this week, they say they were once again left shivering inside and layering up with hats and jackets to go to sleep.

“I had it on for three hours yesterday and the radiators were barely warm”, said Paula Beattie, who has lived in the block for a decade.

Ms Beattie’s home was only reaching 15 degrees when the Tribune visited.

“I’ve got asthma and the cold really aggravates it. I’ve been using my inhaler more and coughing more. It just makes you feel miserable. It feels like your sheets are wet it’s so cold.”

Beatrice Bernard, who has just returned home from hospital after an operation, added: “There’s no heating, it’s on and off, you don’t know when it’s going to work. I’ve had to buy portable heaters”.

Initially residents were told that the current heating system would only be a temporary measure until the new-build project, originally started in 2018, was complete. They would then have access to a heating system run out of the new block.

Hathersage Court

But the Tribune understands that the project is now no longer going ahead. Having already been stalled for seven years, the Town Hall has written off £2.4million of external spending on it.

In the meantime, existing residents’ homes are being heated by a temporary heating system, which they say is consistently malfunctioning.

Indeed, in October the Town Hall subsequently smuggled through a retrospective planning application to make the heating arrangement permanent.

“Of course we feel let down”, said resident Maria McCarthy. “We go on about the heating all the time. I’ve phoned the council, everyone else has phoned the council, GEM [environmental building services] come out, and it’s always the same story: that this can’t sustain everyone in the block.”

Councillor Jenny Kay, who represents Mildmay ward and was on site when the Tribune visited, said that residents were in desperate need of a more permanent solution.

She said:”Hathersage Court residents need reliable heating and quick responses when things go wrong. It’s clear that the temporary system instal­led in 2020 is still not working consistently. The permanent, low-carbon heating solution that residents have consistently been promised is urgently needed.”

In January 2023 there was uproar after it was revealed that the temporary system would operate using pre-payment meters, which often mean residents have to pay far higher sums for their energy.

‘It just makes you feel miserable’, said Paula Beattie, above

The Town Hall halted installation of the meters, meaning half of residents now pay through this system while the other half pay a set sum as part of their rent.

Ms Beattie said: “We were told by senior officers, they stood up there saying, ‘It’ll be so cheap, you’ll be able to have it on all the time, you’ll have warm houses’. This was meant to be temporary but Gem are here all the time, every day, doing repairs. Whatever way it is set up, it’s not working.”

John Woolf, the Town Hall’s housing chief, said: “I am sorry that residents at Hathersage Court have been experiencing issues with their heating. We are working hard to put things right. I can confirm that the heating system is fully functional. However, residents have high­lighted discrepancies in temperature levels, with some homes feeling noticeably cooler than others.

“Our team is working closely with our contractor to adjust the Building Management System to ensure more consistent heating through­out the block. These adjustments will be made over the coming days and will take time to fully integrate into the system. Once this work is complete, we will continue to liaise with residents to make sure temperatures are satisfactory for everyone.

“If any isolated issues remain in individual properties, we will investigate and resolve them directly with the residents affected.

“The council has recently secured grant funding to deliver further improvements to the system. This work is planned and will begin on site soon.”