Digital TV bills a real turn-off for Camden's leaseholders and tenants

Published: 01 July, 2010
by TOM FOOT

THOUSANDS of leaseholders and tenants are being hit by an “unnecessary” multi-million pound bill to cover the cost of the digital switch-over.

Camden Council is installing special receptors on council estates so that old-style analogue televisions can receive extra digital channels.

But residents who already own digital set-top boxes or pay for Sky packages say they don’t need the upgrade.

During consultation, the Town Hall wrote to leaseholders warning that residents’ digital TV boxes would not work unless the Integrated Reception Systems (IRS) were installed.

But, following a challenge by leaseholder Richard Hamnett, they have admitted their mistake.

Mr Hamnett said: “No attempt was made by Camden to find out how many people really needed some form of digital box. 

“They merely wanted to bulldoze through a costly scheme.

He added: “A huge profit is being made on these unnecessary installations.”

Around 10,000 leaseholders in Camden are being charged £361, with a 10 per cent annual management and maintenance charge, leaving a total cost of around £3.7million.

The council has already begun charging around 22,000 people living in council blocks 87p per week for the special aerials – taking the total cost of the switch-over to Camden taxpayers to more than £10m.

The contract to install the special “9-wire” IRS system was contracted to builders’ firm Lakehouse, the company carrying out Decent Homes repairs scheme.

A Town Hall spokesman said: “The government will cease analogue TV nationally and switch over to digital transmission by 2012. 

“So that people can continue to view television, councils across the country are installing Integrated Reception Systems (IRS) and all households will have to meet the costs of the programme.”

The spokesman added: “Camden Council needs to consider the long-term use of its housing stock and is installing IRS across a further 18,452 properties, as part of a self-funding programme that was developed following consultation with residents.”

The installation of IRS systems was recently challenged in a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) in Westminster. The tribunal found in favour of the council.