Tower block residents face service charge hike

A city councillor said the service charge increase was "shocking"

Tower block residents in Coventry will be hit by a service charge hike of more than £1,000 a year.

Social housing group Citizen said people living in Nauls Mill House in Coundon would face an average rise in service charges of £22.05 per week from April.

Objections have come from community union Acorn and a city councillor, who said the increase was "shocking".

Citizen said it wanted to make sure tenants were paying the same amount and that current agreements did not reflect services provided.

Critics said the charges were "unprecedented" and "unreasonable" and that issues in the block included poor cleaning, pest infestations and inadequate security.

A spokesperson for Acorn Coventry said residents deserved "a clean, secure, and affordable home".

Councillor Jackie Gardiner, who backed a petition calling on Coventry City Council to oppose the move, said she wanted to help residents "fight these shocking increases and request the missing services for which they already pay".

Pest issues 'dealt with'

Citizen's chief operating officer Madeline Nelson said for historical reasons the group had different tenancy agreements and a new one would boost "transparency and equity."

She claimed current agreements did not reflect services provided, such as keeping tenants safe and maintaining communal areas.

Citizen wanted to make sure residents were paying the same amount for services, because at the moment some were paying less, she added.

"We remain committed to providing a clean and safe environment for our customers and have recently boosted our concierge team to improve security in the block.

"Any issues with pest infestations that have been reported to us in individual properties have been dealt with immediately," she said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.