Housing association criticised for ‘ludicrous’ heating price

ELDERLY residents at Colman Fold in Strabane say they are being forced to make an impossible choice between ‘heating or eating’ as the cost of keeping their homes warm has more than doubled over the past two years.

Complaints about the rise in charges have this week prompted urgent calls for Radius Housing, which operates the complex, to re-evaluate its pricing structure.

This newspaper understands that the cost of heating at the sheltered housing complex has surged from £12 to £27 per week, with residents now paying £108 a month.

One resident at the fold, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of eviction, said, “Two years ago, a meeting was called between fold residents and the housing officer, where we were told that our heating charge, £12 per week, would be jumping up to £27 a week. The justification for the rise was the Ukrainian war and we were promised that, when oil prices fell, our charge would also fall.

“Now residents, including myself, are now paying £108 a month for heating, a far cry from £48. Pile on top of that rent and electricity which the residents pay themselves as well as a service charge for maintenance in the building and it adds up to a hefty price.”

The resident continued, “I would estimate I’m paying over £300 a month just to live in Colman Fold which is far from ideal. There are other elderly residents in a worse financial situation who have to pay the same; if it’s bad for me I can only imagine what it’s like for them.

“I honestly have to think about heating or eating with the current cost of living here. I like the fold; I don’t want to have to consider new accommodation.”

The resident said that, whilst they understand that prices would go up in line with fluctuations in the market, they feel the current increase is ‘far too harsh’ and are asking for Radius to bring the price down.

In addition, the service charge has been called into question.

The resident continued, “We pay a service charge of £9 a week for the upkeep of the overall building, including repairs. There are a number of radiators in the corridors which simply aren’t working so heating can’t even be felt although oil is being burnt; it’s not good enough.”

Strabane independent councillor Paul Gallagher labelled the heating price hike as ‘ludicrous’, saying, “I understand that oil prices fluctuate but oil has fallen significantly in the past two years and I personally know of similar complexes in the town where the heating charge is much less. How Radius can justify keeping the charge so high I have no idea.

“At the end of the day, the elderly are being punished, with poor people paying the cost of a war. Radius must look at this and quickly.”

The Chronicle contacted Radius Housing with a list of questions, including why the heating charge had not fallen in conjunction with the obvious decrease in oil prices.

A spokesperson for Radius said, “In our communal properties, heating costs are shared and based upon the size of each property. In this instance, the heating costs had not been reviewed for some time, and Radius was effectively subsidising these costs. The change in the charge was necessary, based on the sharp global rise in fuel costs at the time, and has not yet fallen to pre-2022 levels.