Tenants in row over expenses for Homes for Islington meetings

Published: 13 August, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

PLANS to pay Islington’s elected housing chairmen and women while reducing spending on the borough’s estates sparked a furious row this week.

Homes for Islington – the borough’s housing agency – intend to pay the people who chair its meetings between £2,000 and £5,000 expenses annually from next year even though the job has always been considered voluntary.

At the same time the new Labour council has announced it is slashing expenditure for  minor repairs to  estates by 75 per cent from an annual £2million to £500,000.  The cuts may mean less or no money for new play areas, broken equipment or better lighting and security.

Housing campaigner Thomas Cooper said that the plan to pay expenses at a time of drastic cuts to improving estates was inexplicable.

He added: “Whoever pays the piper calls the tune. There are already concerns that these chair people don’t always act in the best interests of the residents. If someone agrees to take a role in a voluntary capacity then they should see it through in that capacity. There are hundreds of tenant representatives who work long hours on behalf of their estates. They don’t get paid. So why should this small group of individuals be remunerated?”

Chairman of the Federation of Islington Tenant Associations Dr Brian Potter said the decision to pay elected chair people while making cuts was “disgraceful”. 

“I raised the issue of payment for chair people at the last few board meetings,” Dr Potter said. “HfI absolutely denied it in public. Meanwhile places like Bentham court in Canonbury and Centurion Close in Holloway are in des­perate need of repairs.”

The council’s executive member for housing Labour Cllr James Murray defended the moves. “Allowances for chairmen and women is an issue for HfI,” Cllr Murray said. “However, I don’t think they are excessive in the current climate and these people give up a lot of free time to do the work. As for the reduction in tenant repairs we have a £70million black hole in the capital programme and we have to find cuts somewhere. But if there are urgent works we will do what we can to find the money.”