Labour members of Haringey Council’s ‘watchdog’ committee this week voted to rubber stamp proposals to slap leaseholders of council properties with massive repair bills before any work is even done on their flats.

Leaseholders, who are liable to pay for a proportion of major works done by Haringey Council, will now be forced to pay thousands of pounds before work has been completed.

Local Liberal Democrats criticised Haringey Council’s proposals for sacrificing the best deal for leaseholders to increase the Haringey Council’s cash flow. The average bill for leaseholders is set to triple to £6,500 during the Council’s Decent Homes Programme, which will renovate the Council’s dilapidated housing stock.

Haringey Council was forced into an embarrassing admission that, even though they are going to force leaseholders to start paying for work before it has started, Haringey Council itself will only pay the builders for work after it is done.

Cllr Richard Wilson, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, who led the Liberal Democrat discussion at the meeting, commented:

“It is hypocritical of Haringey Council to force leaseholders to start paying in advance for building work, when the Council itself doesn’t pay the builders till later. This is a real slap in the face for leaseholders who will now face repair bills hitting the doormat before even a paint pot is opened.

“I’m extremely disappointed that Labour councillors refused to accept my pleas that leaseholders should continue to be allowed to wait until the work is complete before they start paying.With the credit crunch squeezing residents’ finances, this unfair decision shows just how out of touch Haringey Labour is.”

Lynne Featherstone MP added:

“Many leaseholders are not going to have the money to hand to pay these huge bills upfront. To add insult to injury the money won’t even be given to the builders until the end so the money will end up sitting in Homes for Haringey coffers. This is simply not a fair way to treat leaseholders.”