Cloud over our homes

Published: 9 July, 2010

• ONCE upon a time there was a well-loved, well-kept place in London called Islington.

However, one day a dark cloud came across and told Islington Council it should have an arms’-length management organisation (Almo).

Islington said it would ask residents if they wanted an Almo, and despite many residents not receiving voting forms Homes for Islington (HfI) was set up to manage the day-to-day running and repairs of council properties.

All was not well for residents, as HfI went from bad to worse, ruining lives and homes with poor repairs and bad workmanship.

It would take none of the blame.

Oh, how the poor residents suffered.

There were years of discontent over electrical and gas work, their decent homes were being turned into slums.

Then that naughty HfI decided to inflict more grief on residents with cavity wall filling.

The dust and debris left behind was atrocious, but the contractor, Enterprise, could see no wrong.

HfI said that walkways and estates needed jet washing. Another HfI department said they did not; Islington Council said they did; Enterprise said they did not.

Poor residents.

There was a breakthrough when HfI agreed to jet washing, but Enterprise said categorically No, because it was environmentally unsafe for its workers.

So no jet washing.

So the moral of this story is (and as in all good stories, you can sing this part), HfI says yes, HfI says no, Islington Council says yes, Enterprise says no.

What a silly, silly mess all this arguing has led to.

The end... until the gas and electrical lateral works commence, the NHS has to pay for the breathing conditions that will arise from the environmentally unsafe dust and HfI decides to inflict more pain and discomfort on the residents it is paid to look out for.

Wouldn’t it be nice, readers, if all of that really was a fairy story? Unfortunately, it’s true.

MARTIN RUTHERFORD
Secretary, Popham1 Estate Tenants and Residents Association