Jeffrey King, a 69-year-old resident of Balaam House in Sutton, is spending his final months in what he calls a "sweat box" as temperatures inside his flat reached 30C during a recent visit. Diagnosed with blood cancer in August 2024 and given two years to live, King told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the heat is making his remaining time increasingly unbearable.
"I'm under enough pressure now, I'm dying," he said. "The last thing I want to do is sit here baking to death." King, who has lived in the 1960s tower block for 11 years, says he tries to make the most of each day but the conditions are making that difficult.
Residents report heat-related illnesses
King's comments come after the LDRS first visited Balaam House on Collingwood Road, West Sutton, in June at the start of this summer's heatwaves. That report revealed that some of the more than 100 residents had suffered heat-related illnesses, including vomiting, with several temporarily rehoused. Resident Rhonda Scott previously told the LDRS that some flats had reached temperatures of up to 35C.
Since then, King says the heat has become a regular topic of conversation. "Everyone is overheating, everyone is ratty," he said, adding that another resident had been admitted to hospital with a heat-related issue since June. "This weather and living in this building makes you miserable."
King, a former highways engineer who worked on roads between London and the South Coast, said his body no longer copes with the heat as it once did. "Without exaggerating, I changed my T-shirt and shorts five times yesterday, and I keep the blinds closed all day," he said.
SHP's response criticized as insufficient
The building is managed by Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP), an arms-length company that manages Sutton Council's housing stock. While SHP has provided temporary rehousing, water, and cooling fans during the heatwaves, King believes these measures are inadequate. "Giving people water and fans is just scratching at the surface of the problem," he said.
King also expressed frustration that Sutton Council approved plans in June to spend more than £1m on a new boiler house behind Balaam House, but no commitment has been made to longer-term cooling measures like air conditioning. "They treat you like mushrooms, they keep you in the dark and feed you b******t," he said. "If they were upfront and said 'we are looking at air conditioning units', it gives you some kind of hope. But they are not giving us hope."
Despite this, King said residents remain united in pushing for change. "I am fighting for the people within the block now," he said.
Cladding confusion and fire safety concerns
Alongside the heat, residents are frustrated by a lack of clarity over the cladding on the 18-storey block. Residents told the LDRS that previous cladding reports contained "conflicting" information about the building's cladding and varying fire safety assessments. Rhonda Scott said, "For years we've been told different things about the same building. One report said Balaam House needed remedial work because of concerns about the cladding and fire breaks, while later reports said no major works were needed."
Residents' concerns were raised by local Green Party activist Helen John during a Sutton Council meeting. She asked Lib Dem Councillor Jake Short whether new Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEW) would be carried out at Balaam House and neighbouring Chaucer House following SHP's £380,000 contract with Axion Consultancy. Cllr Short responded that the council had already shared Balaam House's FRAEW with residents, which concluded that "no remedial works are required to the cladding or external wall systems". However, Helen said she had compiled a list of cladding-related evidence that is "conflicting and confusing".
Rhonda also raised concerns about a recent fire risk assessment that was not initially shown to residents, and questioned its use of photographs taken months before the assessor visited. She said SHP's description of resources spent on Balaam House as representing less than 1% of the council's homes was "deeply insulting and hurtful". "For us, this isn't a percentage. It's our homes, our families and our safety," she said.
SHP defends safety record
SHP confirmed that Balaam House's cladding was predominantly steel and said its recent fire safety assessment was independently carried out. The report was provided to a resident who requested it on July 29. SHP said it had supported residents during the heatwaves with free fans, welfare visits, bottled water, and heat sensors to identify homes that may need free air conditioning. Regarding King, SHP said it had offered work to reduce temperatures in his flat, but he declined it, and staff had continued to check on him.
King told the LDRS he declined the temporary cooling measures because of the additional cost of running them, which he said would be unaffordable on his low pension. He believes SHP should instead commit to longer-term solutions.
Steve Tucker, Managing Director of Sutton Housing Partnership, said: "It is really important to me and my colleagues at Sutton Housing Partnership that we provide all our residents safe and decent homes. When it comes to Balaam House, the building is safe. The outcomes of important safety surveys are communicated to residents with the full reports available on request. However, to show we are being completely transparent, we will be sending all the relevant fire safety surveys to all residents in the block." He added that residents with questions about the surveys are encouraged to contact SHP, and that the company would never stop residents from engaging with councillors.
