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Ann Lucas
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Bill for paying HfI board salaries would near £60,000
HOUSING chiefs have defended plans to pay their board of independent and voluntary members allowances that would total almost £60,000 a year.
Plans to pay people sitting on the Homes for Islington (HfI) board a salary between £5,000 and £8,000 a year were first reported in the Tribune last year.
Now HfI is undertaking an internal investigation to uncover the mole who leaked the embarrassing document.
HfI says the proposals to pay board chairwoman Ann Lucas £8,000 and others between £5,000 and £6,000 a year are now being put out to public consultation after they were included at the last minute on the agenda of Monday night’s board meeting.
HfI is an Arms’-Length Management Organisation (Almo) formed to run Islington’s council housing stock in 2003 in exchange for a government loan of £157 million to refurbish homes.
The organisation says that in considering introducing allowances it is acting on guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government, which regulates council housing. The department has suggested allowances of up to £10,000 a year.
HfI’s board members, who include residents and five councillors, are called “directors” and look after HfI’s strategic policy-making. The only board members who will not benefit are the five councillors.
Brian Potter, chairman of the Islington Leaseholders’ Forum and a former board member, said: “When these people signed up to be on the board it was on a voluntary basis. As soon as you start paying them, they lose their objectivity.
“I am suggesting to HfI that they take the money and spread it across the estates through the relevant tenant association chairs.”
Ms Lucas said: “The Department for Communities and Local Government recommended that Almos should consider options for paying an allowance to members of their board.
“HfI has decided the best way to take this forward is to consult on it. We have been in the process of reviewing the arrangements for the way HfI is governed, to ensure we remain effective and efficient, and we felt it was appropriate to include this as part of that review.
“As a result of this, a series of proposals are being submitted for consultation to area housing panels in March, including one on how allowances could work. No decision will be taken on this until we have received the feedback and views from the area housing panels.”
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