Brown Dithers and Home Improvements Remain in Doubt

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 31st Jul 2007

New bathrooms and kitchens for Islington's social housing remains in doubt while the government dithers over future funding.

In December 2006 the Government admitted that it had got its sums wrong for promised Decent Homes Funding and asked Islington to take a funding cut. Islington said No.

The New Prime minister and former chancellor who was heavily involved in ALMO Funding, has now been in post over a month and there are still doubts hanging over the future funding of decent homes work in Islington.

Homes for Islington is due to receive £137 million over four years (starting in 2006) to improve council housing. It is now 8 months since the announcement that funding could be cut but the final decision has been delayed again until October, leaving doubt hanging over hundreds of residents who need new kitchens and bathrooms.

Lib Dem Councillor Terry Stacy, Executive member for housing said

"The Labour Government seems determined to slap tenants in the face over the issue. It's now been eight months and still we don't know whether we'll be able to keep improving resident's homes at the rate we have been for the last two years.

"Council housing was starved for years by the Tories, badly administered by Labour who were in control locally and now the Labour Government has made a series of promises that financial miscalculation mean it can't keep. Locally Labour have remained quiet on the issue.

"We need a decision one way or the other now so that the council and Homes for Islington can plan properly for the future of housing in Islington. It's an issue that affects people right across the country."

Islington along with many other councils, was promised money to "do up" council housing on the proviso they transferred their housing to an Arms Length Management Organisation. Homes for Islington (HfI) was set up in 2004 to do this. HFI reached the 2* standard required to secure £137 million in an independent inspection just a year after it was first created. Brown has also maintained the position that Councils can't access funding to build council housing.

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