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Waiting for showers
• RECENTLY I have read many emails from tenants literally begging Homes for Islington (HfI) to install showers in council properties and the endless list of justifications as to why HfI can’t complete such basic water-saving measures under the Decent Homes Standard (DHS).
As chair of Holland Walk Area Housing Panel, I have sat through many meetings where tenants and residents have expressed real concern about global warming and considered ways to save on energy, water usage and resources. Despite this, the council has spent millions on DHS projects, yet failed to install even basic measures. In the view of many residents this has been a completely missed opportunity. Just think of the amount of energy and water that could have been saved if this scheme had incorporated showers, insulation or alternative heating systems.
For example, major works recently completed on our estate did not include insulation, and only people under occupational therapy got showers.
The DHS money is classed as a loan from the government, not a gift, and we will all be paying it back for years to come. Surely a long-term approach should have been considered?
In contrast, the main response has been to suggest adding £5 to every tenant’s rent, so some (20 per cent) of the stock could be insulated, on the grounds that the council could not afford scaffolding on higher floors.
The other major cosmetic gesture has been to install a wind turbine on the town hall and using housing surplus for a climate fund. That does not seem to be of benefit to council housing stock.
Perhaps the council should stop generating so much hot air, and focus on instigating real change in its housing stock? This is an issue that is real, something we are begging our politicians to take action on. Otherwise the concerns raised in the housing panels are meaningless.
JUSTINE GORDON-SMITH
Chair, Holland Walk Area Housing Panel
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