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A slap in the face from our ‘listening landlord’
• ON Monday evening about 50 leaseholders picketed the Homes for Islington (HfI) board meeting. We also attended the question-and-answer session at the start of the meeting.
Leaseholders are angry at HfI’s interference in elections for Islington Leaseholders Association (ILA), which leaseholders voted by 76 per cent to establish. That vote was won by such a large margin, partly because Councillor Terry Stacy promised that the ILA would be truly independent. That means no interference from the council, no interference from HfI and no interference from PFI Partners.
The council delegated responsibility for helping set up the association to HfI. What do we find? Far from being helpful we find that HfI has stopped consulting leaseholders and is pressing ahead with its own elections. HfI has imposed conditions on who can stand for the association.
Our demonstration was to complain about HfI’s interference and to request that it resumes its earlier co-operation. Instead, what do we find? On Tuesday, following the demo, HfI’s consultant Consensus, hired by it but paid for by us, has repeated HfI’s line that leaseholders who are a month behind in their payments to HfI cannot stand.
HfI is proud of its claim to be a “listening landlord”. This latest move is a calculated slap in the face that can only provoke further discord. HfI has already been rapped over the knuckles by the Audit Commission for its failure to consult leaseholders. We’ll make sure that the Audit Commission knows that HfI’s policy on leaseholder involvement is a slap in the face.
RICHARD ROSSER
Islington Leaseholders Forum
• LEASEHOLDERS’ leaders staged a “demo” outside the offices of Homes for Islington (HfI) earlier this week.
It is charitable to view this as the exercise of every citizen’s right to protest.
But nobody but an idiot views “street theatre with extreme prejudice” as anything other than a bid to bully and intimidate other individuals, in this case the board of HfI, into a decision they would not freely make.
One of the leaders of the protesters was Brian Potter, who was recently involved in another confrontation with HfI as chairman of the Federation of Islington Tenants Association (Fita).
The upshot of that confrontation was that the HfI chief executive eventually gave Mr Potter an ultimatum. A basic transcription of that exchange would run along the following lines: “Sign up to the deal or else we’re closing you down, laddie.” Mr Potter caved in.
MIKE READ
Islington Action Group
• LEASEHOLDER Action Group (LAG) was formed some two years ago by myself and others. It’s full name is PFI-LAG, because we set it up to defend Private Finance Initiative (PFI) leaseholders against the worst aspects of the 30-year major works contract between Partners for Improvement in Islington and Islington Council.
LAG has been successfully fighting a long case through the Leaseholder Valuation Tribunal (LVT) against Partners’ outrageous 56 per cent management fee (which covers preliminaries, overheads and profits).
Mike Read has, throughout our existence, attacked LAG (Fight this charge, October 12). For no very clear reason; he just doesn’t like us, although he is actually a PFI leaseholder.
We raised some £25,000 from LAG members and have won praise from the LVT and our own leaseholders on a detailed, skilled and determined campaign which has knocked back Partners’ claim and forced it to enter proper negotiations with our expert witness.
What LAG has not done is take a position on whether or not it should support the setting up of Islington Leaseholders Association (ILA). Many LAG members do individually support ILA and its aim to become an independent organisation funded by leaseholders and defending their interests against the new works and maintenance contracts. Chris Radway and I, both from the LAG committee, have been nominated as ILA directors.
Isn’t it a little strange that Mr Read, having failed to squash either PFI-LAG or the setting up of ILA, has now invented a new group called – yes – LAG, or Islington Leaseholder Action Group.
Under this name Mr Read is campaigning against the new ILA. Of course he’s free and welcome to do so. But not using our name and reputation as a cover.
ED FREDENBURGH
Secretary, PFI-LAG
(Writing in a personal capacity)
• MICHAEL Read has never attended any Islington Leaseholders Forum meeting when Islington Leaseholders Association was debated. If he had he would have been able to enlighten the forum with his views.
So why at this late hour does he want to de-rail it? Has he got a chip or plank of wood on his shoulder? Has he got another political agenda?
I suggest he simmer down and join us again
DJ STEVENS
King Square, EC1
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