Rewiring work left their homes in need of redecoration but they say the council wouldn’t cover the cost
Louis Corbett Trainee Reporter
14:27, 15 Feb 2026
A picture from a constituent who had complained to MP Steve Yemm about the work that was carried out in their home (Image: Steve Yemm MP)
Pensioners in Mansfield have hit out at their local council after rewiring work left their homes in a state.
Council residents in Meden Vale asked their MP for support after routine rewiring work left them with mounting repair bills and redecoration costs.
Compensation has been paid to some of the affected pensioners; however, they argue that the maximum amount of £180 is nowhere near enough to restore their homes to the standard they were before the work took place.
Margaret Hennessey, 73, of Marston Avenue, explained that she had redecorated her home in April 2025 and was dismayed to learn that rewiring work was scheduled for later in the year.
After begrudgingly preparing her home for the work, the pensioner and her partner left the house for the day, only to return to a “building site” left behind by the contractors.
She said: “To be quite honest, it’s been a nightmare from the beginning to the end.
“They came, and on the day we wrapped everything up and moved everything, we left at 8am and came back at 6pm, and I’m not exaggerating, it was like a building site, I have never seen so much mess, rubble.
“They scratched my wood flooring, and they broke the door in my bedroom.
“There are loads of people around here that have had the same, it took us five fours to clean two rooms.
“I’ve had to fight them tooth and nail.
“They took a mattress out of the back bedroom and put it in another bedroom, and then stood all over it. I couldn’t believe it.
“I’ve been there 21 years in that house, and they came in, and within a couple of weeks, they had destroyed my whole house.”
Margaret says that the compensation she received for redecorating didn’t even cover the cost of paint for three of the rooms affected, and that she feels she has been left out of pocket by the situation.
Margaret told Nottinghamshire Live that a 90-year-old also had his house worked on, and after it was left in the same state, she claimed that he didn’t want it redecorated as he didn’t believe it would make any difference for the time he had left.
Another resident, Kathleen Foster, 80, claimed that she fell ill after the work was completed due to the cold being let into the house and the dust left behind.
She said: “I live on my own, I am now turning 80, and I had to hang around while it was all going on, and when they did finish, I was taken poorly trying to clean out all the muck that they left. I’m still battling to get over it; they came in September.
“They gave me £150 to get the whole bungalow decorated, which needs to be done because of the mess on all the walls and the ceilings that they left.
“There is no way that £150 is going to cover all the paint and the decorating that needs to be done.
“There was dirt all over the walls and the ceilings.
“They couldn’t care less about what people have to put up with. I would like them to have to live with what we put up with.”
Out of frustration, a number of council residents reached out to their local MP, Steve Yemm, for support after receiving compensation they said was not enough.
He said: “I welcome Mansfield District Council carrying out work for the people who need it, and I think it’s valuable, but the work needs to be finished.
“If the council don’t finish a job, then they need to offer appropriate compensation so that affected residents can finish the work themselves.
“The residents in Meden Vale I talked to recently were offered between £120-£160 – it is simply not possible to re-paint a whole house for this much, especially as several of the residents I spoke to were elderly and would need to hire a painter.
“One of the residents has paid £600 already, to fix three of the affected rooms, and another has been quoted £400 just to repaint their landing.
“I will be requesting that MDC increase the offer of compensation for each of the affected properties, and I will be asking that they take more care in the future when carrying out work on residents’ properties.
“These are people’s homes, and it is important that everyone has somewhere clean and safe to live.”
In response to the claims, Mansfield District Councillor Anne Callaghan said: “Mansfield District Council carries out rewiring work only when it is required to meet important safety and compliance standards. Tenants are always informed in advance, and we work hard to minimise disruption in their homes.
“We provide a decorating allowance that helps towards the cost of redecoration once the work is complete.
“The amount offered depends on the type of property, based on the number of bedrooms, with a current top rate of £180 to contribute towards the decorating needed for the affected area.
“Our operatives ensure that the work area is finished with a smooth surface and to a standard that is ready for redecoration.
“In recent years, we have improved the way we carry out rewiring to make the process neater. Our contractor also provides a cleaner to remove excess dust once the rewiring work is complete.
“All jobs are checked and signed off by our technical officers to make sure they meet the standard we expect.
“We will be responding in writing to the MP for Mansfield’s comments to reiterate the work we are doing, and we will continue to review our approach to ensure we support tenants as effectively as possible.”
