Damp and mould in Southwark’s Housing Costs NHS £1.8 million

A damning report seen by the Liberal Democrats has suggested that the health effects of Damp and Mould in Southwark’s council housing could be costing the NHS over £1.8 million a year.  

The modelling applies national rates of damp and mould to Southwark’s social housing stock, and assumes every person per household is affected. Alternative modelling that assumes just one person per household requires treatment gives a figure of £730,000, which the Liberal Democrats say is still too high. 

This comes just months after the ruling Labour group shut down a Liberal Democrat debate on the state of Southwark’s housing, which followed the Regulator of Social Housing’s findings of “serious failings”.  

The Housing Ombudsman has also repeatedly criticised for severe maladministration over damp and mould, which in one startling case had left a tenant with a collapsed lung. Southwark was fined just under £90,000 by the Ombudsman last year due to housing failings. 

Commenting, Health and Social Care Spokesperson Cllr Maria Linforth-Hall said:  

"Councillors across Southwark are being inundated with reports of severe damp and mould, and we see first-hand the devastating impact it has on residents' health, especially children and older people. 

While we welcome the Council’s new commitment to inspect every property, it should never have taken this long - years of failure under Labour leadership have allowed this crisis to spiral. 

The result is not only misery for residents, but a huge and avoidable cost to our NHS, which is already under immense pressure.  

Southwark must now act urgently to meet its legal obligations under Awaab’s Law, be transparent about the true scale of the problem, and deliver the safe, healthy homes our residents deserve." 

Jacqui Gilmartin, Chair of the Dodson and Amigo Estate TRA added: 

"Residents across Southwark have been raising the alarm about damp and mould for years, but too often their concerns haven’t been treated with the urgency they deserve. Families tell the Council about serious health problems caused by living with damp and black mould, yet little changes. 

You can't just keep washing down internal walls and handing residents a tin of paint — the root causes, like crumbling external walls needing repointing, are not being treated as a priority. That’s why the problem isn't going away. Our estate is a prime example. 

It’s heartbreaking to see our neighbors’ health, especially young children and older people, being put at risk - and now we are seeing the wider cost to the NHS too. We need urgent, proper repairs, not more temporary patch-ups. Our community deserves better."