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Tenants’ vital back-up is in danger
• I AM a director of the Federation of Islington Tenants Associations (Fita) as well as secretary of my tenants’ and residents’ association for 10 years.
In all this time Fita has been invaluable in offering support and assistance in every aspect of our work. How long it will be able to do this is up to Homes for Islington (HfI).
Fita is funded by Islington Council and has been for the last 25 years.
HfI took over as an arm’s-length management organisation (Almo) for the council in 2004 and since then Fita’s future has been under threat.
We can’t let this happen, as I feel tenant participation will be sorely threatened.
As directors, we get to communicate with HfI management regularly and have a say on important issues to do with tenants and residents on our estates – anti-social behaviour, repairs, grants and working together for our community.
If Fita goes, then we will be unable to do this.
As directors, we are responsible for three paid employees. Needless to say, they will lose their jobs.
We will be losing a conscientious, hard-working organisation, vital to tenant participation, and it will be the tenants who lose out.
IRENE SPENCE
Mersey Estate Tenants’ and Residents’ Association and Fita director
N7
• NOW let me get this right. The Federation of Islington Tenants Associations (Fita) was set up for the benefit of Islington tenants in their dealings with their landlord, Islington Council.
But because the directors of Fita refuse, and I believe quite rightly, to collect private and highly personal information, such as on religion and sexual preference, about their members for use by the council, the association is threatened by the council, through its henchmen at Homes for Islington, with de-funding and ultimate disbandment.
Now call me old fashioned but isn’t that somewhat Machiavellian, as if the council knows it shouldn’t be insisting on having the said information so gets the very body that acts for the people it’s “spying” on to do the “spying” for it.
Come back, Joe McCarthy all is forgiven, by Islington Council at least.
TERRY COMER
Canonbury Park North, N1
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