Conservative councillor calls for abolition of Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing

Aug 6 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A HOUSING body should be abolished following a six-figure blunder, a councillor has said.

Clr Christine Smith called for Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) to be scrapped following the District Heating fiasco.

The Examiner revealed this week that a faulty system has left tenants owing KNH £772,000 in unpaid heating bills.

The housing group has accepted that not all the money will be recovered.

And now Clr Smith has called for KNH to be abolished.

The Kirkburton Conservative said: “KNH is not doing its job. I want it to be wound up and Kirklees Council to take back the managing of all our council properties.”

The council set up KNH in 2002 as an arms-length management organisation to look after council properties in Kirklees.

Councillors made the move to gain access to £145m of Government money through the Decent Homes scheme.

“ The cash was used to modernise council houses across the district.

But Clr Smith pointed out: “The Decent Homes money was finished ages ago.”

She believes that many people blame Kirklees for the failings of KNH.

“When something goes wrong, tenants ask me why the council isn’t doing something about it,” she said.