Praise for the Council - At Home and Abroad

1.33.00pm GMT Wed 31st Oct 2007

Good news of a job well done travelled more than 10,500 miles as pensioner Florence Farmer could not resist telling the world about how Milton Keynes Council had transformed her bungalow.

Eighty-year-old Florence was so delighted with her new kitchen, windows and doors that she e-mailed pictures of her new-look home to relatives living in New South Wales, Australia.

In the space of just a few weeks the council had replaced her windows, doors and then installed a new kitchen at her home at a sheltered housing scheme run by the Council.

Florence, who has lived at Bradwell since 1999, said: "It was a fantastic job. The workers were really friendly and considerate and even moved my washing machine under the sink for me.

"It makes me mad when people moan about the Council. When my husband was alive the Council really helped us out again by installing a stairlift."

The work was carried out by Milton Keynes Council's housing maintenance contractors Apollo, MITIE and Wheldon who carry out thousands of similar repairs to those at Mrs Farmer's home every year.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Irene Henderson, cabinet member responsible for housing and adult social care, said: "Behind the scenes the Council is doing a lot of good work on behalf of the people of Milton Keynes and it is reassuring for us to receive such a positive endorsement from a tenant. The housing maintenance scheme is just one of those things that are greatly appreciated by our tenants and yet so often our efforts can go unnoticed."

Meanwhile, at home, a family-of-four is praising the Council for restoring their family home after fire had raged through their house leaving them homeless.

The Shepherdson family moved back to the home on the Netherfield estate this month and were delighted to find the home restored to its former state without a trace of the fire that had ripped the heart out of their lives in May.

At that time the family had been out shopping at a local supermarket when they got a call from neighbours saying a fire had started in the kitchen of their Netherfield council home.

The fire service, police and council housing officers were at the scene in minutes but the fire had caused thousands of pounds worth of damage, gutting most of the downstairs of their home before the blaze could be put out.

When Rachel Shepherdson arrived with her husband Ian and two boys Paul and Ryan, aged eight and seven, they feared for the lives of their pets - two snakes, seven lizards as well as two dogs - that were still in the house.Fortunately the dogs had been in the garden and the lizards and snakes were saved by the emergency services.

Rachel explained: "It was a nightmare made worse because we were not insured but the council housing officer was there on the spot. We did not know what to do and the first night we spent very upset with my mother in her small bungalow. Then the next day we got a call for the Council to say we had a new home at Tinkers Bridge. It was fantastic news and such a relief."