Fw: Public health emergency - request for a follow up from someone at Lambeth

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Colin James

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Apr 12, 2024, 9:50:20 AM4/12/24
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Hi all,

I am writing to this group to ask if anyone knows who I can contact to resolve the terrible problem I am facing as described in the email chain below.

No one who I have spoken to in the council is prepared to engage and I am facing a weekend nightmare knowing the council services will soon close for the weekend 

Many thanks in advance 

Colin 
6 Ostade Road 


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From: Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk>
Sent: 12 April 2024 08:23
To: Cllr Ben Kind <BK...@lambeth.gov.uk>
Cc: Cllr Marcia Cameron <MCam...@lambeth.gov.uk>; Cllr Adrian Garden <AGa...@lambeth.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: Public health emergency after suspected homicide at 6 Ostade Road - request for a follow up from someone at Lambeth
 
Ben,

In my hallway, the dreadful smell remains from the body that had been lying there for weeks and there are more flies than before.

I have attached a picture of the landing where of the flat where the murder took place. You can see under the door that the floor remains as filthy as outside. 

Can you please explain what is the light cleaning that took place, and what public health justification exists for refusing to do a deep clean until next of kin have been to see the flat. I find this appealing and unacceptable .

It is a timber floor and it is likely that decaying body fluids have seeped through the floor . I do not understand why I am having to struggle to get basic decent conduct from the council in these circumstances, this not in any way acceptable and I beside myself with how everyone is getting on. This is my home and I have every right to expect a basic level of service in these circumstances 

Colin 

image0.jpeg

Sent from my iPhone

On 11 Apr 2024, at 15:50, Cllr Ben Kind <BK...@lambeth.gov.uk> wrote:


Hello Colin,

I'm sorry to hear of the distress this situation has caused. I've escalated to the Housing management for the south area and asked them what they will do to address this today.

For further information, emails are not the best way to raise urgent matters like this with me. If you need to contact me in an emergency like this please use the below phone number. 

Regards,

Ben

Councillor Ben Kind
Cabinet Member for Children & Families
Labour, Brixton Rush Common Ward
Phone/WhatsApp: 07920 547463
London Borough of Lambeth
Labour Members Room
C/o The Leader's Office
Lambeth Town Hall
London SW2 1RW
From: Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk>
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2024 2:19:01 PM
To: Cllr Marcia Cameron <MCam...@lambeth.gov.uk>; Cllr Ben Kind <BK...@lambeth.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: Public health emergency after suspected homicide at 6 Ostade Road - request for a follow up from someone at Lambeth
 

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

Dear Cllrs,

I assume you are not able to respond due to a purdah period and have been advised to contact my MP and the press, and to invite to visit the property to witness the situation.  I will of course continue to keep you informed and copy you into correspondence with them too

Yours

Colin James 



On 11 Apr 2024, at 13:49, Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk> wrote:


Dear all,

I have again called 101 and once again the police have confirmed to me the crime scene is closed and that the Lambeth can clean. They have again said that if Lambeth needs to confirm this, you should call them with the postcode code I previously issued you with, or use the crime reference number they gave Lambeth when instructing to board up ( which I understand is recoded on your system) 

Please can you confirm that public health cleaning will progress in Flat C and the common hallway today.

Yours 

Colin James
 


On 10 Apr 2024, at 18:07, Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk> wrote:


Apologies ,my last email was sent from my phone and I’m my distress, without checking auto correct. Corrected text now below:


Dear Cllrs,

If you receive this email tonight, please can you urgently help me.

I am unable to stay in my flat due to the unbearable smell. left after the death of my neighbour and the failure of Lambeth public health to clean up as requested by the police when they closed the crime scene and accordingly asked the Council to board  the property up. The police have also advised me that they requested Lambeth to clean the property and issued them with the crime reference no. 

The flat in which the incident occurred is a council social rented flat above mine , I am a lambeth leaseholder.

Please see email chain below - I have spent the entire day - really! - being sent around the council and it’s getting late now and I’m concerned this is not being addressed with appropriate concern and diligence. I’ve never experienced anything like this and in fairness many officers I spoke to where aghast but said it was outside their remit. 

Lambeth now passing over  responsibility for next step action to the busy police to email or phone them is a clear dereliction, because responsibility has now passed to Lambeth Council.  Action  must now come from the council, snd my own phone call to 101 demonstrates to me that confining the crime scene is closed in this way is a reasonable expectation.

Every phone conversation with the council  leads to a different excuse : it wasn’t boarded up ; the police have  the only set of keys ( the police deny this) ; earlier there was ‘no knowledge’ that it was boarded up; yet at the same time, Housing has ‘no access to the council system records in which I know the councils boarding up and crime reference has been recorded (as confirmed to me by other officers) ,; we  did call them but they have no record of a crime; we are waiting for them to call/email to rely to us ; public health dept says they  will clean up immediately but require housing to agree to pay their clean up cost; we can visit tomorrow; managers are unavailable to speak to….. they are on training/ they have gone home early’….

I am beyond distressed. 

I believe it is within my rights to expect reasonable diligence in meeting your responsibilities as a council to public health 

The awful unbearable smell of death from Lambeths refusal to clean up after suspected  murder is beyond anything imaginable. 

Please, please help.

Yours in desperation  

Colin James 
6a Ostade Road 


Sent from Outlook

From: Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk>
Sent: 10 April 2024 15:12
To: Jennifer Kelly <JKe...@lambeth.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: incident at 6 Ostade Road
 
Dear Ms Kelly ,

I have just called you at 15:04 to ask you to please phone 101, say you want to clean and need to confirm the crime scene at SW22BA is closed. As I said, I did that and they immediately confirmed that it was closed at 1:43am at which point they confirmed to Lambeth Council the scene was closed and instructed them to board the property up. They asked you to call them to reconfirm this if there is any doubt and I asked you to please do so in my call before your email as I was concerned this was now running down the time.

It is unreasonable to expect the police to contact you and to refuse to simply call them as I have requested you do , and as the police have also asked you to do.

Not only this, you said you are unaware of the boarding up which occurs once the crime scene is closed  as you said it must have been a different dept. however I have since spoken with other parts of lambeth who say the boarding up was recorded against the address &  the crime reference number entered into your system so I am not sure why you can’t see this record either.

I have now spent the entire day trying to get this resolved and. The smell of the dead body is unbearable and poses a public health risk and you have a responsibility to prioritise this and I have a reasonable right to expect Lambeth to fulfill their statutory and moral obligations.

Please can you phone the police if you need  further confirmation and confirm the cleaners will be immediately dispatched. I can’t sleep here with the smell of the dead body so please, please help.

Colin James 

6a Ostade Road 

Sent from my iPhone

On 10 Apr 2024, at 15:44, Jennifer Kelly <JKe...@lambeth.gov.uk> wrote:



Dear Mr James

 

Thank you for making contact in regards to the recent incident in flat C.

 

I have made with the police who are unable to provide me with any information at this time due to Data Protection.

 

An email has been sent to the officer dealing with the incident  they will be contacting me to provide me with further information.

 

I am unable to attend the property as we have not had the confirmation from the police that their investigations are complete, Lambeth Council are duty bound not enter the property until we receive that confirmation. I am currently on the phone to 101 using the Cad number you have provided me with.

 

I understand that this is a very frustrating time for you and I am doing my best to get this resolved for you. I will be in touch again once the officer dealing with the incident makes contact with me to confirm that the property is no longer a crime scene.

 

 

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

Jennifer Kelly

Neighbourhood Housing officer(Streatham)

Housing and Adult Social Care

Tel:  020 7926 8149

jke...@lambeth.gov.uk

 

PO Box 80771

London

SW2 9QQ

 

 

Lambeth – a cooperative council

 

 

Disclaimers apply - full details at www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclaimer

Colin James

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Apr 12, 2024, 2:46:10 PM4/12/24
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Hi all,

I have been unable to get the Council to respond and not only do I find the smell and the flies a health concern, but it is very traumatising .

While I can’t access the flat that is a council social unit, I intend to deep clean the staircase we have in common and so want to know if anyone knows of a private contractor I can contact. 

Your help would very much be appreciated

Many thanks

Colin 


Sent from my iPhone

On 12 Apr 2024, at 14:50, Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk> wrote:


Hi all,

I am writing to this group to ask if anyone knows who I can contact to resolve the terrible problem I am facing as described in the email chain below.

No one who I have spoken to in the council is prepared to engage and I am facing a weekend nightmare knowing the council services will soon close for the weekend 

Many thanks in advance 

Colin 
6 Ostade Road 


Sent from Outlook


From: Colin James <colin...@live.co.uk>
Sent: 12 April 2024 08:23
To: Cllr Ben Kind <BK...@lambeth.gov.uk>
Cc: Cllr Marcia Cameron <MCam...@lambeth.gov.uk>; Cllr Adrian Garden <AGa...@lambeth.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: Public health emergency after suspected homicide at 6 Ostade Road - request for a follow up from someone at Lambeth
 
Ben,

In my hallway, the dreadful smell remains from the body that had been lying there for weeks and there are more flies than before.

I have attached a picture of the landing where of the flat where the murder took place. You can see under the door that the floor remains as filthy as outside. 

Can you please explain what is the light cleaning that took place, and what public health justification exists for refusing to do a deep clean until next of kin have been to see the flat. I find this appealing and unacceptable .

It is a timber floor and it is likely that decaying body fluids have seeped through the floor . I do not understand why I am having to struggle to get basic decent conduct from the council in these circumstances, this not in any way acceptable and I beside myself with how everyone is getting on. This is my home and I have every right to expect a basic level of service in these circumstances 

Colin 

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Colin James

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Apr 14, 2024, 8:04:07 AM4/14/24
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Dear all,

I have learnt that the council has disposed of soiled material from the flat I described below in the council bins on Ostade Road. This was witnessed by neighbours.
You will notice the smell and flies and as I am concerned there is a public health risk until the bins are collected and keep children’ away , I advise everyone to avoid using the bins in the street if possible  and to take due care if the use them to sanitise after.

Yours

Colin James
Ostade Road 


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