Gateshead Council residents face a wait of around 29 days for housing repairs to be completed

People living in Gateshead Council properties have to wait an average of 29 days for housing repairs to be completed, according to a new council report.

Data collected over four years, including throughout the pandemic, found repairs took place anywhere from the day they were reported to 240 days later.

And while the average waiting time was 29 days, the Gateshead Council report found one tenant's repairs took over three years to complete.

The findings were reported in a paper for the authority's Housing, Environment and Healthy Communities Overview and Scrutiny committee which looked into the efficiency of housing repairs carried out by the council.

These differences were acknowledged by Mark Smith, the director of public service reform, who said the waiting times "varies enormously".

The report stated it took council contractors a number of attempts before a full roof repair was completed three years after it was reported.

Councillors in attendance at the scrutiny committee voiced the concerns of residents in their wards following the report.

Councillor Dot Bernett, who represents Dunston and Teams, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing something happening. I have to tell you, this week I have had four complaints that have been going on for two years.

"As far as I am concerned having been in business before coming into this organisation, there are a few things I would like to say."

She added: "Someone has got to own it. I have got this complaint, they monitor it and see it through to the end.

"People are suffering out there and there is not one councillor that doesn't have the same problem as me."

Her words come ahead of the council launching a new organisation prototype this summer which will be used to improve how the repairs service monitors complaints and delivers them.

Cllr Bernett continued: "I hope it works and I am glad we are doing something about it, but I tell you what, it needs to work fairly quickly."

The report found the repair centre's ability to handle calls was deemed 'critically low'.

However it did show that 36% of repairs were fixed when first looked at after being correctly identified.