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Lost: voice of tenants
• WITH its decision to withdraw funding from the Federation of Islington Tenants Associations (FITA), Homes for Islington (HfI) has taken a leaf out of Alice in Wonderland by completely ignoring the jury before announcing the sentence.
In this case the jury comprises those tenants’ associations and their residents for whom FITA represents a borough-wide forum and voice.
All local tenants’ associations can send representatives to FITA to discuss Islington Council housing issues. As such, it is the only truly representative and democratic body that speaks for tenants across the borough.
Eamon McGoldrick, HfI’s chief executive, says it will conduct a “comprehensive consultation with TRAs [tenants’ and residents’ associations] and residents on the way forward”. As usual, HfI offers to consult after it has taken the key decisions. In other words, it really has no interest in consulting residents and taking decisions based on residents’ views.
Mr McGoldrick claims that HfI wants new ways to hear our views. FITA is not stopping HfI widening the ways in which it canvasses “our” views. What FITA may be doing is reporting back views that HfI does not want to hear.
What HfI wants is a minimal appearance of residents’ involvement so that it can pretend that it is working “in partnership” with us. It emphatically does not want any organisation which could question the whole basis of the Arm’s Length Management Organisation and the possible eventual transfer of our tenancies away from the council. That is the game which is being played out and the wishes of the residents are a very minor consideration.
FITA has been undermined so that there should be no collective and institutional voice to question HfI’s need to appear to be accepted by us as our landlord.
RICHARD ROSSER
Highbury Estate Tenants’ and Residents’ Association
• BRIAN Potter, chairman of FITA, recently appealed to Islington Conservatives for support over the difficulties tenants are facing in their dealings with HfI.
Based on FITA’s evidence, we believe the highly remunerated officials of the organisation are failing to provide tenants with an appropriate service. The chief executive officer is paid a salary equal to that of the prime minister, but tenants still find repairs are being carried out at too high a cost.
The grant made to FITA and its largely volunteer force of advisers is being withdrawn by HfI without adequate justification or proper consultation. To make matters worse, the Labour and Liberal Democrat members who are on the HfI board have been conspicuous in their failure to respond and have simply turned their backs on tenants and leaseholders.
Meanwhile, council leaseholders face repair bills of up to £40,000 and have no representation that is genuinely independent of the council.
There are cases where leaseholders have been frightened to open their post because they have no idea of how they can possibly raise the funds.
We would like to see more practical help for leaseholders to phase their payments, and we certainly do not think they should be living in fear of losing their homes over these costs.
We believe there are important questions here over value for money for tenants and council tax-payers, and lack of accountability. Islington Conservatives will continue to highlight these concerns.
ANTONIA COX
Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, Islington South and Finsbury
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