Hathersage Court tenants and residents held a meeting to discuss the dispute with the Town Hall. They say they feel let down. Pictured: Beatrice Bernard, far right, and Paula Beattie, second from right

RESIDENTS are considering a strike on heating payments after complaining that Islington Council has let them down too many times.

The warning came at a meeting of the Hathersage Court tenants’ and residents’ association (TRA) at the Mildmay club on Wednesday, which saw people discuss how they wanted to escalate a dispute with the Town Hall.

The flats in Newington Green have a litany of issues that they say the council has not dealt with. A housing development that was started by the council in 2018 but is currently not being worked on has left them with an ugly building site and closed a play area that is now unusable.

Many residents report that their heating either doesn’t work at all, or only barely warms their home.

Flats are leaking into other flats, causing some people to live with damp and mould. Tenants with flooding were told last July that they would be moved into empty flats while repairs were done, but many of them say they are still waiting. And in January prepayment meters were installed in half the flats. Residents were so outraged that they managed to get the council to agree not to turn them on but now they are unsure what will happen next and say they feel left in the dark.

“I feel ignored and abandoned. Everything seems to have ground to a halt,” said Paula Beattie, secretary of the TRA. “I’m never sure if this is a grand conspiracy, or incompetence.

“The heating payment strike is the next reasonable step because we have tried to engage with the council in a really positive way – invited them to sit down with us and discuss these issues and come up with a solution. But they’ve not responded at all for two-and-a-half weeks. So hit them where the money is maybe?”

She added: “The new build was supposed to start [again] last year. We do ask what’s happening, but we’re always told that a new contractor is going to be appointed soon, and yet nothing’s happened. It’s just been left looking like a bombsite where they started work and never finished. They’ve knocked stuff down, put up metal fences, and closed the big play area.”

Other people at the meeting spoke of the disrepair in their own homes.

Beatrice Bernard, who has lived in Hathersage Court for 35 years, said: “I have damp and mould in my bathroom from a leak coming in from another flat. My bathroom is really bad, the damp has been there for years.

“I was told in July that I would be moved into one of the empty flats [while repairs were carried out]. I got phone calls from them when I was away on my holidays about it, but I haven’t heard anything since. It’s frustrating and it’s stressful, and the council doesn’t care.”

Another woman said she had not been able to take a proper shower in three years because her hot water is so scalding when it comes out of the tap that it’s only bearable if it’s at a trickle.

“My heating doesn’t work, so it’s freezing and I’ve no proper shower, so I have to take a bath, then you get out of the bath and you’re freezing. It’s just simple things but it’s exhausting,” she said.

Housing chief Councillor Una O’Halloran said: “We are determined to ensure that everybody has a place to call home that is decent, secure and affordable, and there is a lot of work taking place at Hathersage Court to improve people’s homes.

“Most flats have been inspected for damp and mould and repair works have been carried out where needed. We also hold regular meetings with residents to keep them updated on all the work taking place on the estate, and encourage them to report any new repair problems – including damp and mould or problems with heating and hot water – to Housing Direct or, in an emergency, the out-of-hours repairs team.

“Our ambition is to build much-needed new homes on the estate. The global recession caused a setback with the scheme, but we are still exploring options and will be in touch with residents once we have found a way forward.

“On heat meters, the government is making all councils install them in homes connected to communal heating systems that meet certain criteria, including Hathersage Court. There are two payment options available for them – prepayment and monthly credit billing.”

She added: “We are listening to the concerns of residents at Hathersage Court about how they will pay for their heat via the meters, and have paused the implementation of the scheme while we discuss these options with them and address any concerns.”