Flood-hit residents ‘in complete crisis’ as council slams ‘serious concerns’ in open letter

Council bosses in Stockport have penned an open letter raising ‘serious concerns about the lack of response’ from an insurance company and the owners and management company of flood-hit Meadow Mill, saying many residents and tenants are now in ‘complete crisis’.

More than 400 people living on upper floors of the converted 19th century mill, next to the Tesco store off Portwood roundabout, were evacuated by the emergency services following heavy flooding at the start of the new year.

Cars outside were submerged and there’s still no electricity or running water, but as reported in the Manchester Evening News, desperate residents are moving back because they have run out of money to pay for hotels, and have been left with nowhere else to go.

The council has now published a letter it has sent to insurers AXA, management company CERT and building owners Awal Investment. The letter is signed by councillor Mark Hunter, leader of the council, and its chief executive, Michael Cullen, and says there has been ‘little or no consideration for the ongoing plight of the residents affected’ after the initial response.

CERT, in an update, said a ‘specialist disaster recovery consultant’ has now been brought in and Monday has been set as a ‘target’ for the restoration of power.

The council said it has been faced with ‘an increasing number’ of people ‘who are financially unable to cover’ up front costs.

“Both the management company (Cert) and building owners (Awal Investment) are referring to AXA, but AXA would seem to be refusing to deal with residents directly, and I understand there has been no information provided to residents regarding how to claim, or indeed secure temporary accommodation if they are not able to fund initial costs,” states the letter.

Submerged cars outside
(Image: submitted)

The council said the ‘level of desperation amongst residents’ was now growing.

And the letter, published on the council’s website, confirmed a number of Meadow Mill’s residents ‘have been forced to move back in, without electricity or water or indeed any of the appropriate safety systems operating to protect them or the building’ due to financial constraints.

“Whilst such unauthorised occupation is contrary to the advice and requirements of both statutory agencies, and the building owners/management company, these residents are clearly desperate,” added the letter.

“Initial contact by the Council has been through the building owners and management company, who reported they were trying to obtain more information from AXA for residents, but that this had not been forthcoming. It is now over a week since the flood and more delay and lack of certainty over temporary accommodation arrangements will be of cold comfort to the residents, many of whom are now in complete crisis.

“We would urge all parties to act swiftly, as they should have done from the start, to provide the residents affected with the information and practical assistance they need as a result of having to leave their homes.”

The letter in full

We are writing on behalf of the Council, and residents who have been in contact with our officers, to raise serious concerns about the lack of response from the organisations we believe are responsible for the ownership, management and buildings insurance at Meadow Mill.

The immediate response from all parties following the serious flooding on New Years Day and consequential impact on Meadow Mill would seem generally to have been well coordinated, with residents either making their own accommodation arrangements, and/or attending the rest centre set up by the Council.

Whilst I understand the scale of the assessment and works required are taking some time to complete and are seemingly progressing, there has been little/no consideration for the ongoing plight of the residents affected.

Emergency services at the scene
(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Communication from the management company for the mill provided within the first couple of days confirmed that the building was insured with AXA, and that reasonable costs incurred by the residents could be claimed through this policy.

For many residents, this has meant personally paying for hotel accommodation ‘up front’, although the Council has been faced with an increasing number who are financially unable to cover such costs, and have nowhere else to turn – both the management company (Cert) and building owners (Awal Investments) are referring to AXA, but AXA would seem to be refusing to deal with residents directly, and I understand there has been no information provided to residents regarding how to claim, or indeed secure temporary accommodation if they are not able to fund initial costs.

As time has progressed, the level of desperation amongst residents is growing, with a number now reporting that financially they have been forced to move back in, without electricity or water or indeed any of the appropriate safety systems operating to protect them or the building.

Whilst such unauthorised occupation is contrary to the advice and requirements of both statutory agencies, and the building owners/management company, these residents are clearly desperate.

Initial contact by the Council has been through the building owners and management company, who reported they were trying to obtain more information from AXA for residents, but that this had not been forthcoming. In recent days, Council officers have contacted Dene Smith as the Regional Director (North) of AXA directly. It is now over a week since the flood and more delay and lack of certainty over temporary accommodation arrangements will be of cold comfort to the residents, many of whom are now in complete crisis.

We would urge all parties to act swiftly, as they should have done from the start, to provide the residents affected with the information and practical assistance they need as a result of having to leave their homes. We look forward to your immediate response to the concerns raised so that residents can be provided with the information and assistance that they need.

AXA and CERT statements

In a statement, AXA said: “We sympathise with the situation being faced by the residents of Meadow Mill. This is a complex claim which involves detailed investigation with multiple parties including the property’s freeholder, who is the policyholder of our commercial buildings insurance policy, and their broker. We are urgently working with them to resolve the situation.”

CERT said: “Since the occurrence of the extreme weather event which saw one and a half times the rainfall expected in January occur in a 12 hour window, CERT’s client, the freeholder, has worked to address the damage caused by the flooding from the river as swiftly as possible.

“At the point of receiving the letter from Stockport Council, utility operatives had been working through the weekend, last week and all week with the objective of restoring power and water to the property as soon as possible.

Cars in mud in the aftermath on the car park
(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)

“The freeholder has brought in a specialist disaster recovery consultant to manage the recovery process. As part of this process essential electrical and water equipment has been assessed by the manufacturers earlier this week and the specialist consultants are coordinating supply and installation. They are working with their appointed electrical and mechanical contractor and have been developing a solution to bring an electric supply to the building as soon as possible.

“Based on the timeline of the works required to reinstate the building’s utilities, the target is to have power restored to the communal landlord areas of the building by Monday. From there, the necessary testing of the life safety systems within the building and within the apartments themselves can take place to ensure the systems are operating correctly and to check that there is no fire risk from the electrics systems. Following the delivery of the replacement water pumps, the water supply can be reinstated once the necessary water tests and dechlorination is carried out.

“This update was communicated to all leaseholders of Meadow Mill at 2.30pm on Thursday, January 9, and to Stockport Council in response to their letter. We have been in daily contact with all leaseholders, and their agents, since the event, and we are delivering daily updates to all leaseholders with the most up to date position on how the works are progressing. Where our communications have not been opened by the leaseholders, and their agents, we have called them directly to confirm receipt of the updates. We continue to urge leaseholders to check for our updates and swiftly communicate with their tenants.”

The Manchester Evening News has contacted Awal Investment for comment.

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/flood-hit-residents-in-complete-30743017

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