Category: Leaseholders

“Out with the Old”

I’m on a pension and have lived in my one bedroom ex-council flat for 25 years. “It’s all very well for (Una O’Halloran the Leader of the Council (D.Telegraph 26/7/25,)“Islington plans to purchase 900 former council houses”) to gloat regarding buying back former Council properties for short term accommodation, but she conveniently fails to mention that in so doing, she is simply displacing the Council’s long term residents”

This is precisely the process used in my situation by Islington council. I have been a leaseholder in Newbery House for 25 years and Islington council has issued me an s20 estimate of £50,000, (larger 2 & 3 bedroom flats are estimated considerably higher)

Notably, these bills are being issued without full, independent and proper surveys  – (we have an estimate for major work to our roofs,) when a simple, and cheaper) drone survey could easily and accurately determine whether such major works are actually necessary! Furthermore the company deciding the scope of works is the company doing the very work! Thereby, in effect, writing their own cheques; (ie…marking their own exam papers). As a result, hundreds of residents, like myself, are losing sleep over a maintenance bill, that will in effect, force me out of my home after 25 years.!!!

The council are deliberately sacrificing a whole swath of it older, long term, paying residents, in order to house Non paying residents, this despicable behaviours shows that they see us as being easily disposable,‘Cash Cows’. 

Consequently, I intend to stand as an independent leaseholder candidate in the May 2026 local elections, Basically, in order to get some say in MY borough, as opposed to just being grossly misused and abused.

“overlooked and discriminated against”

After reading Cllr O’Halloran’s statement marking her first year as leader of the council I feel really overlooked and discriminated against, and I know that amongst the borough’s leaseholders I am far from alone in this.

Cllr O’Halloran says in her statement that housing is “a daily issue” for the residents she serves. As someone who has always lived on an Islington council estate I am a champion of social housing and welcome the buyback scheme as a way of increasing council housing stock, but only if the leaseholder genuinely wants to sell and is not being bullied or forced out of their homes by extortionate major works bills. These are sometimes as high as £100,000, amounts no average-waged person or OAP could ever dream of paying without incurring considerable debt. 

An Islington Council employee has confirmed to me that most of the homes the council buys back are sold because the leaseholders can’t afford these huge bills.

Leaseholders are among the residents Cllr O’Halloran serves, and the number of them that have to leave the community they have lived in for years is surely a housing issue, yet she shows no empathy, understanding or even awareness of their plight. 

She has the power to change policy and give the leaseholder a much longer period to pay the money back interest free, an improvement on the inadequate 5 years that now applies. 

Council tenants pay for their share of major works with increased rents, but over a much longer time. Us leaseholders ask for fairness and equality, and a change of council policy to help us sleep at night.

Name/Address supplied