Petitioners called for a public inquiry into a government-backed insulation scheme that left people thousands of pounds out of pocket in “one of the biggest scandals of devolution”.
The botched Arbed/CESP energy efficiency scheme, which aimed to cut bills, was sold to people living in Caerau in the Llynfi valley as the “best thing since sliced bread” in 2012.
But people quickly encountered problems, raising concerns about “terrible” workmanship, and some families’ homes remain in a “disgusting” condition 13 years on.
Now, Rhiannon Goodall, one of those affected, has submitted a petition to the Senedd, calling for a fair deal for people left to live with “extreme damp and mould”.
She told the petitions committee: “Our fight has been ongoing for many, many years. We are now 13 years later and the condition of our homes that have been left in due to this insulation is absolutely disgusting.”
‘Unscrupulous amounts’
Ms Goddall told Senedd members she has spent £20,000 or more trying to rectify issues, replacing kitchens repeatedly ruined by dampness.
In a letter to the committee, she said: “I can’t have open foods in the cupboards; tins rust. I’ve gone through multiple small kitchen electrical items due to rusting and failing. I am not the only one in this predicament.
“Other residents have also spent unscrupulous amounts of money trying to rectify the faults, and we cannot keep doing it. Some residents do not have the money at all to try to do this and they live in derelict homes.”
Ms Goodall pointed out that some people have died without seeing the issues put right since the Welsh and UK Government scheme more than a decade ago.
“There were significant failings,” she said. “I would also like there to be a public inquiry into what took place and how this was allowed to happen.”
‘Insult’
The campaigner added: “I appreciate that finally, after 12 years, work started to remove the faulty insulation; however, that is all that is being done.
“No rectification work is being done to our homes; walls are not being replastered, carpets and some furnishings are not being replaced, and there is no compensation.
“After all we have been through as residents, such an arrangement is an insult. We are being left to recuperate the costs of a badly mismanaged energy scheme.”
At a committee meeting on March 24, Plaid Cymru’s Luke Fletcher said: “I would argue that this issue has been one of the biggest scandals of devolution and I don’t say that lightly.
“It’s been ongoing now for 13, 14 years where residents have been living in houses that aren’t fit for human habitation…. It’s a scandal and it’s genuinely heart-breaking that residents are still in this position.”
‘Run a mile’
Mr Fletcher, who represents South Wales West, welcomed Welsh and UK Government funding awarded to Bridgend council to undertake remedial work on 104 homes in Caerau.
“That’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I know residents are increasingly anxious about how long it is taking for these things to be put right.”
Mr Fletcher pointed out that fixing the insulation does not take into account all the money families have spent replacing everything from kitchens and curtains to carpets and clothes.
He said: “We’re talking here about a scheme that was sold to residents as a way of saving money but, ultimately, has cost them far more money than they would have expected.”
He warned people could be put off the Welsh Government’s new Warm Homes programme, saying he would “probably run a mile” after what happened in Caerau.
‘Forgotten’
Raising the petitioners’ call for a public inquiry, Mr Fletcher said: “I think it’s that we get down to the problems and why they happened and how this was allowed to happen.
“We know … other schemes are coming down the line because it is the ambition of the Welsh Government to retrofit housing, so I think it’s important we learn lessons from this and restore … a bit of faith in these programmes.”
He told the meeting: “Residents in Caerau have felt that they have not been listened to … this is genuinely a community that is being forgotten.”
The Plaid Cymru politician added: “It’s important for us to recognise that this has been a traumatic experience for a number of residents.”
Senedd members resolved to write to the Welsh Government, asking its position on a public inquiry, and to Bridgend council for an update on remedial works. The petitions committee also agreed to invite those affected to the Senedd to hear their experiences first hand.