Rent-rise anger

Photo: Darren Robinson

Upset . . . Sheila Beverley, Sylvia Kelly, Colin Beverley, Bryan Callaghan, Rita Lumb, Roy Smith.

FUMING pensioners in sheltered accommodation are up in arms over new maintenance costs on top of their rent.

At the moment, a service charge is included in the rent paid by residents in accommodation run by Housing 21, but the policy is set to change from next year with phased-in rising costs.

From 2014-2015, the service charge will be £4.32 a week. The following year, it will go up to £8.64 a week, then £12.96 the year after, £17.28 the year after that and finally, from 2018-19, it will cost £21.08 per week.

Around 200 residents across 19 sheltered housing group schemes will be affected.

Lung cancer victim Margaret Hollywood (78) has been living at the Housing 21-run Charles Morris House in Failsworth for 18 months.

She said: “We’ve all worked and paid in. I’ve worked all my life. I’ve been really depressed. All the cost is coming on to us.

“This is because the Government is cutting funding but why should pensioners have to pay for it?”

“I don’t think it’s fair what they’re doing.”

Sheila Beverley (68) has lived with her husband Colin (69) in the the same building for three years.

She said: “It doesn’t seem very fair to me. The more we worked hard and saved money, the more they want to take off us. It’s absolutely scandalous.”

Oldham Council contacted all the tenants in the sheltered housing group schemes who would be affected by the proposals.

They said a thorough consultation was carried out during October about proposed changes to the way they charge for their housing service from April, 2014.

Councillor Dave Hibbert, Oldham Council’s Cabinet member for environment and housing, said that of the 602 sheltered housing flats — around a third of self-paying tenants in the 19 sheltered group schemes will be affected.

In order to mitigate the impact, they have discussed the phasing of these charges for existing tenants over a five-year period.

Councillor Hibbert said: “The Government has reduced the amount of money it gives to us to deliver certain services and we’re still looking at how to continue providing the high level of service that residents expect in sheltered housing.

“We’ve not charged for services associated with running and maintaining communal facilities in the past, even though residents have been receiving them. Central government cutbacks have made it impossible to continue with that policy.

“Our sheltered housing is of a very high quality and is cheaper than equivalent housing schemes elsewhere. These proposals would bring us in line with other housing providers.”