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 Members of FITA with (second from left) Brian Potter, Labour councillors Mick O’Sullivan and Gary Doolan and Labour leader Catherine West |
Labour politicians under fire as tenants’ group cash is axed
THE decision to withdraw funding for Islington’s independent tenants’ organisation was made behind closed doors by “stooges” and “careerists”, according to speakers at a public meeting on Wednesday.
Two Labour councillors, Barbara Sidnell and Richard Greening, were accused of not speaking out against the loss of Federation of Islington Tenants’ Associations (FITA) funding.
The councillors, along with five elected tenant representatives, were members of the Homes for Islington (HfI) board which decided last week to withdraw support for FITA, a tenants’ voice for almost 30 years.
The two councillors did not attend the meeting at Islington town hall to defend themselves.
Islington Council’s Labour group leader, Councillor Catherine West, and Islington North Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn were unable to explain the actions of their two colleagues, but spoke in support of FITA.
The nearest Labour got to criticising Cllrs Sidnell and Greening was a comment by St Peters ward Labour councillor Gary Doolan, who said that, had he been in a similar situation, “I would have walked out.”
Up to 200 tenants’ leaders packed the council chamber to denounce HfI, the council’s housing agency whose 17-member board voted to withdraw support.
The meeting agreed that, rather than disband, FITA would remain an independent voluntary voice for tenants and leaseholders – but without the £100,000 funding, three full-time staff and office provided by HfI.
Holloway tenants’ representative Thomas Cooper said the worst aspect of the HfI decision was the secrecy surrounding it, with the public not allowed to know how board members voted. “The board includes careerists, political opportunists and stooges with no interest in the aspirations of tenants and leaseholders.”
Chairman Dr Brian Potter, who has led the organisation for five years, said the “gloves were now off”. He called on the 12 FITA directors, all voluntary tenants’ leaders, to stand as independent candidates at the next local elections. He warned: “Labour and Lib Dem councillors better watch out.” |
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