A row has broken out between residents in Woolton and Plus Dane Housing over service charges
Dr Victoria Rooney and Margaret Quinn
A row has broken out between a housing provider and residents in one area of Liverpool after they were accused of being “aggressive” and “abusive” towards staff. Last month, housing association Plus Dane Housing held a community clean up event at the Ribble Road estate, which is made up of private homes and rented flats.
A number of the renters and freeholders made a point of attending the event, which was to include maintenance of the space around the homes, on the day. They were shocked however when officials packed up early and left.
Their surprise was compounded when a letter, seen by the ECHO, was issued by Plus Dane accusing some residents of being “abusive, aggressive and threatening” to staff during the event.
Speaking to the ECHO, some householders have said they refute the claim made by the housing company and said they had been left frustrated by increases to service charges they feel were unjustified.
Dr Victoria Rooney bought her home in Weaver Court seven years ago. She attempted to speak with staff but was told her questions wouldn’t be answered when she tried to record the conversation.
She told the ECHO she wasn’t aware of the service charges when she moved in. Dr Rooney said: “Lots of people were quite unhappy with the charges, mine’s gone up from £6 to £18 a month but others have had theirs skyrocket.
“When they came, lots of people wanted to talk to them. The general upkeep, a lot of us feel, has gone downhill.
“I got a petition started after chatting with a few neighbours and went along. When I got there, I was told the staff wouldn’t talk to anyone.
Dr Rooney
“We were all quite frustrated. In the end they started packing up but were meant to stay for the afternoon, a couple of us have raised concerns about the behaviour.
“Part of the service charge is for litter picking. It’s just cheeky.”
Dr Rooney explained how she felt when she received the letter that suggested residents had been aggressive towards staff. She added: “We are irritated, when the letter came through the door, I’d just sent them my petition and thought it would be about that.
“I laughed because I thought ‘how pathetic.’ They knew we were angry and they’ve let a lot of people down. It’s utterly absurd.”
In the letter, Ali Phillipson, Plus Dane housing manager, wrote that this wasn’t the first time staff had been “subjected to abuse in the neighbourhood” and “appropriate action” would be taken against those involved.
Chris Black has lived in her home for 39 years and was present during the clean up event. She said: “I saw frustrated tenants. It’s fine if people are getting what they actually pay for.
“I agree with a service charge but what we pay now is not a small fee for the upkeep of the estate, it’s not consistent. I’ve made multiple complaints about fly tipping and asked for signs to be put up.
“My charge has gone up from £7.32 a month to £18. I was told I’d have to challenge the Land Registry about it.”
According to documents seen by the ECHO, the service charge for freeholders on the estate covers “costs incurred in relation to maintenance of grounds, caretaker facilities and management.” In March last year, Margaret Quinn, 79, was paying £5.18 a month.
A year later, a bill landed on her door for almost £70 a month. She said: “I thought it had been an error.
“It’s just annoying, we all live on the same estate, we have the same things, we aren’t we all paying the same? It’s just awful.
“It’s a lot of money, I just want a proper answer from them. I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going on, if they were really doing things we might understand.”
Howard Cover, director of communities at Plus Dane Housing said: “Sadly, we had to bring the recent community event at Ribble Road to a close early. A number of our colleagues were verbally abused and felt unsafe due to aggressive confrontations from a minority of residents.
“We always welcome feedback from customers, but we do not tolerate abusive behaviour in any form and unfortunately on this rare occasion, it tipped to a level that was unacceptable. Following the event and on the back of enquiries, we sent a letter to all residents to clarify what happened on the day, why we took the action we did and to apologise to those not involved.
“We have a complaints process for tenants, and we will fully investigate any complaints made by tenants who are unhappy with any aspect of our service so that we have an opportunity to put them right. Leaseholder and freeholders can access the first-tier tribunal service if they have concerns about service charges and again, this would be fully considered and Plus Dane would adhere to any decisions made by the tribunal.
“We comply with statutory requirements for changes in rent and other charges for all customers which includes sufficient notice of any increases, there are no instances where changes are made without warning.”