Labour councillor John Woolf

THE Town Hall is seeking legal advice on how they can keep housing associations in check, the head of housing has said.

Labour councillor John Woolf was responding to a question about how Islington Council can curb increases in service charges which are leaving tenants struggling to pay.

Resident Pete Gilman told last Thursday’s full council meeting that he had seen first hand local housing providers “ruthlessly exploiting their tenants” with many behaving “like private landlord companies”.

Cllr Woolf said: “Housing associations should not be increasing service charges above the actual cost of the services provided. Those services set by housing associations must comply with the regulatory framework, and if any resident is concerned with the amount set by the housing association they can request a breakdown of the cost. If that is not provided, they can be referred to the regulator of social housing or, indeed, the Housing Ombudsman.”