Woman, 91, dies 'after £16,000 council bill to make her home eco-friendly'

[Vulpix]

Woman, 91, dies 'after becoming stressed over £16,000 council bill to make her home eco-friendly'


Daily Mail: A family have expressed their fury after the death of their disabled 91-year-old mother who 'was forced to take out a second mortgage to foot an unnecessary £16,000 council bill' .

The family of bed-ridden grandmother Dorothy Hacking blame Thanet Council for 'disgusting treatment' after the pensioner became overstretched trying to pay for work to meet government regulations to reduce CO2 emissions.

They say she was beset by stress and health problems after being left with no option but to take out a second mortgage for the stone-cladding repairs to make her home compliant with the Home Energy Conservation Act in Ramsgate, Kent.
The law requires councils to reduce their CO2 emissions by almost a third within the next decade.

Her local paper took up Mrs Hacking's case but sadly she died last Friday - the day the story was published.

Daughter Rosemary, 53, said: 'I think it is disgusting that a disabled 91-year-old should be faced with the fear of negative equity when the council insists on doing work over which she has no control.

'She was financially stretched to the limit, worried about putting the heating on in case she couldn't pay the bills and had no idea what to do if another big bill arrived from the council.

'The council maintained the work was essential to comply with the Home Energy Conservation Act which requires it to reduce its CO2 emission by 30 per cent within 10 years.

'As Mum was no longer a tenant, she had to find the money - under their agreement with Thanet council, leaseholders are responsible for a variable annual service charge which can include larger sums for major works.'

Age Concern said: 'If only we had known we could have tried to help.
'It's such a shame - pensioners 30 years ago never had all these pressures.
'There's no care now, no heart.'

Problems started last year when council inspectors sent the £16,000 bill - and an appeal to benefits agency the Department for Work and Pensions failed.

In the week of her death, Mrs Hacking had told how she was left 'petrified' by the spiralling costs - after having to find an extra £112 a month for her mortgage to cover the cost of the bill.

And Mrs Brown said her mother had been 'financially stretched to the limits'.

The deaf and half-blind grandmonther - who relied on pensions credits to survive - had bought her flat from local authority Thanet District Council under a 'buy your council flat' scheme.

Thanet Council has defended its decision to charge Mrs Hacking the £16,000.

Councillor Zita Wiltshire, the local housing chief, said leaseholders were consulted on charges in 2006 and made aware of how much they would have to pay.

Cllr Wiltshire said: 'We are sympathetic to the concerns of our leaseholders but the council does spell out the detail of the financial obligations imposed upon a lessee in the terms of each right-to-buy lease.'

[Treffie]

I'm speechless.

So councils have been told to reduce carbon emissions in all their properties, but the council tenant has to foot the bill?

Or was it that she owned the property and didn't have to go along with the work after all?

[Albion]

I'm speechless.

So councils have been told to reduce carbon emissions in all their properties, but the council tenant has to foot the bill?

Or was it that she owned the property and didn't have to go along with the work after all?

I was thinking the same. Surely it should be the landlord's responsibility to pay, old people don't need that sort of trouble.