Deputy Mayor of London discusses Wandsworth’s plan to end rough sleeping and tackle damp and mould

London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, visited Wandsworth last Friday (24 May) to understand first-hand the work the Council is doing to combat damp and mould and our commitment to working along side the Mayor of London to end rough sleeping by 2030.

The Deputy Mayor met with Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet Member for Housing and was given a tour of a council tenant’s home who had recently benefited from our damp and mould cleaning service.

The mould removal team was established in March 2023. Their role is to attend and remove mould in council tenant’s homes. We are now expanding this service to enable the team to carry out more visits in a shorter timeframe, to ensure that residents have safe and secure homes.

Since its creation our dedicated mould removal team has responded to over 400 mould removal requests. The team’s prompt attendance removes the immediate threat to health that black mould can pose.

The Deputy Mayor was also updated on how the Council’s Planning Committee has recently approved proposals for a pioneering new rough sleepers’ hub – the first of its kind in the borough.

The hub targets early intervention with those newly presenting as homeless with the intention of addressing the root causes of homelessness. 

The Council is working to tackle rough sleeping to ensure that these occurrences are rare, brief and nonrecurrent.

Tom Copley, said:

“No one should have to live in a damp or mouldy home, and it was really encouraging to see ambitious steps being taken to tackle this issue which causes misery and illness for many tenants.

 "The rise we have seen in rough sleeping across the capital is alarming and we need to work together on bold new ideas that will support the Mayor to deliver his manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by 2030, as we work to build a fairer and better London for everyone.”

Aydin Dikerdem, said:

“We were keen the Deputy Mayor of London, responsible for housing and homelessness across the Capital, was able to see our ambitious plans to improve housing and address homelessness and rough sleeping.

“We want everyone to benefit from a fairer borough – whether you are a council tenant, in a private rental or presenting as homeless - because having a safe and secure home is the foundation for a good life.”