Leaseholders of Islington ex-local authority properties and our aim is to to ensure that Islington Council, its managing agent(s) and Partners, provide leaseholders with a better service and value for money
Hi all…Please read the letter below…I published it in 2012 when the Council last decided they could do without tenant involvement in the Borough…and we can see in hind sight just how right I was…Dr Potter Chair ILA
[1] Islington Tribune Letter Many residents will by now have received the latest of Islington Council’s proclamations entitled “Your housing service needs you!” in which they attempt to convince us that they are genuinely intending to promote meaningful consultation in the borough.
Sadly, although not in the least unexpected, I fear that once again they are desperately trying to sell us another of their “Chocolate Teapot” promotions. more
How I removed £1436.49 removed from my service charges.
Hi Brian,
I challenged poor workmanship on my Block using photos I had taken, 2 jobs were removed as a result and £1436.49 removed from the service charges and £93.79 refunded to all leaseholds in the block.
I have achieved many other refunds previously…. ALL achieved by attending the ILA meeting hosted by your good self and learning how!!!!!
Dr Brian Potter is repeatedly asked for the Ombudsmans ‘Shocking” report on Islington Council while campaigning.
We’ve all heard how Islington Borough Council’s Housing Chief (and now Boss) Una O’Halloran was too “busy” to speak to the Islington Tribune’s news reporter recently.
Perhaps her understandable reticence to be interviewed concerned the shocking report, which high lighted council tenants still trapped in home’s riddled with damp and mould years after the Ombudsman’s damning report into Islington’s serious Mismanagement of this Borough, (link here )
The Rt Hon Michael Gove’s scathing letter to the council which followed, detailing how Islington Borough Council’s appalling administration rate’s were four (4) times higher than the national average, and noted that IBC still repeatedly failed to follow their own procedures and policies, as reported here on the ILA website earlier this year.
Dr Brian Potter was repeatedly asked for, and supplied numerous copies of the ombudsman’s report (attached below) while campaigning as an independent for Junction ward on housing issues.
Perhaps it was this revelation which upset the council to the point where at November’s meeting of the ILA, the meeting required relocating, without notice, after the Council banned the ILA from hiring the Town Hall after 17 years of service to the Borough.
Possibly, their actions were due to the councils inability to handle any form of tenant criticism, or as others have frequently noted, their propensity for censorship and total lack of democracy. When questioned on the subject, the council simply stated that they “did not recognise the association” after 17 years…!!!
ISLINGTON LEASEHOLDERS ASSOCIATION MEETING on WEDNESDAY
13th November 2024 in St Mary’s Church Upper Street (located approximately 100 yards from the Town Hall walking towards the Angel.) 7-9pm Meetings are still held on the second Wednesday of every month www.ila.org.uk
Please be aware that the ILA will still be taking place AS usual…But since the Council will no longer allow us the use of a room in the Town Hall we will re-locate as above…Please watch future posts for important up-dates on this situation…. 😥 and other developments…
Dr Brian Potter said it was disgraceful that the council won’t take bookings from the ILA
A FAMILIAR face is looking to upset a council by-election contest with the message that leaseholders are being treated as the “magic cash cows”.
Dr Brian Potter, the chair of the Islington Leaseholders Association (ILA), revealed this week he will be among the candidates on the Junction ward ballot.
It is the third council by-election in six months and comes in a year when voters have already taken part in the London and general elections.
Dr Potter is furious that the council has told the ILA that it can no longer book the Town Hall in Upper Street for its meetings.
It has held one there every month for the past 10 years.
“It’s disgraceful,” said Dr Potter who says the organisation, which represents a third of those living in the borough, no longer has a place to meet.
The action came after the ILA said it was un-invited to a council-run “home owners’ event”. Dr Potter decided to hand out leaflets for an ILA meeting outside this event, and at this point was approached by a council officer telling him that the association would not be allowed to use the space.
Dr Potter said: “We’re the best-attended meeting in the borough and now they won’t let us have a room. It’s crazy.
“If they were to do that to anyone else, it would go viral.” He added that he would be “getting on the internet” to spread awareness of the injustice.
The Town Hall say, however, that Dr Potter was not barred from the event last week and claim that the ILA can no longer use the council chamber because it does not represent the council.
The ILA advocates for the rights of leaseholders in the borough and says they are often hit by repairs bills totalling thousands of pounds that they cannot afford.
Dr Potter said: “We get extremely bad works, and the cost given by the council to leaseholders is astronomical and unjustifiable.
“The council are letting the contractors run riot. The billing is absolutely crazy.”
He added that his campaign in the Junction ward would raise awareness of the ILA and encourage “any leaseholders with problems” to contact the association.
“They just see us as the magic cash cow, we just keep producing money but it doesn’t matter what you do, you can’t justify these bills,” he said.
An Islington Council spokesperson said: “Here in Islington we’re determined to ensure that everyone has a safe and decent place to call home.
“As part of that we work closely with leaseholders to provide the best quality service, to keep them updated on any works that are being carried out and to ensure that these works offer value for money.
“We know that local people, including leaseholders, know their borough better than anyone and we’re committed to listening to their views.
“That’s why we’re in the process of setting up an independent Leaseholder Forum, which will give leaseholders the opportunity to share their views with the council, hold us to account, and be properly governed.”
The known candidates declared so far for the Junction by-election are James Potts from Labour, Rebecca Jones for the Liberal Democrats, Devon Osborne for the Greens, Jackson Caines from the Islington independents and now Dr Brian Potter.
Any other candidates need to have applied to stand by today’s (Friday’s) deadline.
LEASE have launched a survey about the costs of buildings insurance. It will help ministers and officials create better policies to address these costs.
A big thank you to those who’ve already contributed to the survey!
Your contribution is greatly appreciated and will play a key role in our efforts to improve the availability and cost of buildings insurance in the future.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, there’s still time to participate.
This survey has been created with help from End our Cladding Scandal (EOCS) and a number of managing agents, as well as with support from officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
This survey is the first of many that LEASE is planning for the next year.
What information will you need to complete this survey?
To fill out the survey, you will need:
Details about your building, like the number of flats and the total value of the buildings insurance.
The cost of your insurance from 2017 to now. You don’t need to have all the information for all the years, but the more details you can provide, the better.
Information about any insurance claims for fire, flood, or water damage.
Only one leaseholder per site needs to complete the survey. It would be best if a director from the Resident Management Company (RMC); Right to Manage (RTM) company, or someone from the residents’ association, completes the survey.
Confidentiality and data sharing
The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, and only anonymized results will be shared.
The closing date of the survey is Friday 27 September.
