Derry City and Strabane District Council has endorsed a call for legislation to require landlords to fix damp, mould and disrepair in social and rented homes. The council's Governance and Strategic Planning Committee backed the position during its March meeting.

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin proposed that the council write to Communities Minister Gordon Lyons in support of an Assembly motion tabled by his colleague Gerry Carroll MLA. The motion seeks rules modelled on measures introduced elsewhere after the death of a toddler from respiratory issues linked to damp and mould.

Harkin pointed to Northern Ireland Housing Executive figures showing close to 15,000 reports of damp and mould over the past year. Those numbers exclude reports from housing associations and private landlords. He cited the case of a young family living in a Housing Executive apartment in the Bogside affected by severe damp and mould.

Sinn Féin councillor Christopher Jackson seconded the proposal. DUP alderman Keith Kerrigan, a Northern Ireland Housing Executive board member, noted that the Housing Executive met Minister Lyons on February 25. Kerrigan said the minister plans to advance the legislation with the Housing Executive's involvement during the current Stormont term.