A group of elderly residents have expressed their anger and frustration at the failure by trustees of a Hadleigh housing charity to maintain their homes.

Years of inaction by the Hadleigh Grand Feoffment Charity (HGFC) has left residents with dangerously damp conditions, rotten doors and windows, cracks in many ceilings and walls, roofing problems, outdated storage heaters and rear fencing left unfinished.

Some residents fear for their health due to the rising damp, others are having to pay nearly £200 a month to heat their one bedroom homes and many are furious at having to pay £130 a month, which was recently increased by an extra £5, maintenance charge, when no maintenance is taking place.

Two of the homes have been left empty for more than a year and are still needing repairs, maintenance and a new kitchen to be usable, further exasperating residents that have concerns about the charity's finances.

Accounts for 2019 were only filed with the Charity Commission last month, 159 days late, and their are worries that the HGFC is asset rich, cash poor and that is why maintenance an repairs are not being carried out.

A complete break down in communication with the Trustees has compounded the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness for the residents at the Almshouses in George Street, with the charity's chair Penny Cook and clerk Glenn Root, seen as the main culprits for fobbing them off and describing them as 'the poor of Hadleigh.

The group contacted Nub News and invited us to take pictures of the appalling conditions, which can been seen by scrolling right on the top image. A group met with Nub news to highlight their individual and collective concerns and some asked not to be identified due to fear of recriminations from the HGFC.

Carolyn Cammack, a former Hadleigh mayor is spokesperson from the residents, she said: "This has been going on years. We have asked for a qualified surveyor to come in and do a thorough inspection to get to the bottom of the problems, especially with the damp and the cracks.

"Residents have continually asked for work to be done but are treated like poor residents of Hadleigh, which in this day and age is utterly disgraceful.

"We are speaking on behalf of ourselves but we know there are problems at Queens Row and Benton Street.

"Penny Cook has been chair for years and years but has done nothing for us. If you say something to her she just laughs and says it is all in hand, and we know it is not."

It is clear on inspection that the residents take great pride in decorating their Alms Houses but are stymied by things out of their control.

Other residents told Nub News:

"There is a reason why the plaster is coming off," said one. "There are structural repairs that we can't do, they need to do.

"There is a reason why the cracks on the ceiling and the walls. It is just such a shame because it is not just for the comfort of us the residents who are here, this is for the future residents - it is for posterity.

"There are lovely places for people but the trustees are just letting them go to ruin."

The residents feel constantly let down by broken promises, and glimpses of false hope, when workmen do turn up, only to not return.

One resident said: "I have had damp in my bedroom for eight years, and they came and did some work in 2019 but it is still there and I have heard nothing since.

"I'm totally and utterly sick of it.

"If only someone would come round and speak with us and explain why they are having difficulties, whether it is financial or whatever, but they do nothing, we are completely ignored."

"They don't know what the word maintenance means," said another lady.

"There was a team of men here last year and told us they were going do this that and the other, they did some work on the first door of one of the empty properties but suddenly they just disappeared.

"We are sure it is because they have no money. They have said they are going to apply to the Government for money but we have heard nothing.

"They have had the cheek to put the maintenance charge up by another £5 a month and we are getting nothing for it, that's why many of us are thoroughly cheesed off."

Glenn Root, who has described himself to residents as a a 'senior executive' but his email signature says he his a 'clerk and collector' has also promised things would get done.

One resident said: "He promised my door and walls would be dealt with. He told me all the work would be done in the spring' I ought to have asked him which spring?"

Mrs Cammack added: "To my mind the lack of communication is the worst problem. We get promised and told all sorts but it is never followed up and we are kept in the dark.

"We had the environmental health come in and they told us what was wrong but we have heard nothing. Covid is not an excuse, we have had post delivered every day, but the Feoffment have not sent us any letter with information."

Although it is understood 80 caps for the chimneys have been ordered there has been no sign of them. Meanwhile residents are concerned any damp work will involve thermal boarding which would just cover up the problem, and incur huge cost to individuals.

"We don't know when that would be done, and all the upheaval or who is going to pay for the decorating afterward, said Mrs Cammack "We have paid once, also who is going to move all the furniture out and then back again."

She added that the residents did not have an issue with town council and said: "Cllrs Frank Minns and Carol Schleip are trying to help but are powerless, Gordon Mcleod been appointed as its representative but it is not clear if he is in post or not. Hopefully with his health and safety experience he will do something."

She also thank food bank volunteer Neil Bevis from Just Food, who provided curtains, blankets and other items to help keep residents warm.

While the charity appears to have taken no action, Babergh District Council has stepped in to try and help the residents following the report from an environmental health officer, and have organised emergency repairs.

Babergh responded to Nub News's request for an update and a spokesperson told us a meeting had been arranged with the trustees to deal the multiple houses with multiple problems, especially with on-going dampness within the premises.

A damp specialist is scheduled to start works in May and will push the trustees to deploy a surveyor to investigate and understand what is failing to then determine the best course of action going forward.

True to form, and as predicted by residents, chairwoman Mrs Cook and clerk Mr Root refused to comment on any of the issues and failed to address any of the questions posed to them by Nub news.

These included:

Why has the damp course treatment promised on more than one occasion not been carried out?

Why have roof repairs not been carried out?