Third probe likely into Partners for Improvement in Islington (PFII) £200m repairs project

Published: 28th January, 2011
by TERRY MESSENGER

A FURTHER inquiry is expected to be staged into a troubled £200million home repairs programme.

The Town Hall is set to investigate whether the Partners for Improvement in Islington (PFII) project represents value for money.

PFII is a private sector consortium repairing 6,440 council street properties – 1,700 now owned by leaseholders who face repair bills of up to £10,000.

The council set up an inquiry in 2009 after receiving complaints about overcharging, shoddy work and unspecified allegations of fraud.

Investigators from accountancy firm PwC dismissed the fraud allegations in October last year but did find six instances of overcharging from a small sample of 30.

Councillors then commissioned a second inquiry from council officials and Homes for Islington staff to determine if there were more cases of overcharging.

Audit committee chairman Labour councillor Phil Kelly said this week: “The report doesn’t reveal any more irregularities but it doesn’t cover the question of ‘Did the money spent get us the quality of the work which we expected?’ I think the committee will ask for a further look at that.”

The audit committee was due to discuss the report at a meeting in Islington town hall last night.

The PFII consortium is made up of builder United House, banker HBOS, Rydon Property Maintenance and Hyde Housing Association.