Huddersfield tenants 'have not received bill for central heating systems'

Article date : 01/08/2010

Taxpayers may have to fork out hundreds of thousands of pounds, due to a mistake that has left hundreds of Huddersfield tenants waiting for their heating bill for more than one year.

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner reports that Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing uses the District Heating system to bill people.

However, a report issued to Kirklees Council has found that the system has broken down, meaning people either missed out on a payment demand or were not charged the correct amount.

As a result, over the past three years a £772,000 deficit has been built up, with officials now believing that a large proportion will have to be written off.

Meanwhile, many tenants are concerned that they will not be able to afford the overdue bill when it does arrive.

Almondbury Liberal Democrat councillor Ann Denham said: "The situation is quite unbelievable. Some tenants are being promised bills and receiving none while others are getting bills but they are wrong.

"It's very concerning for many of the tenants, a significant number of whom are elderly. They are being forced into debt by the failure of a system."

Elsewhere, Confused.com recently claimed that Britons are spending an average of £18,500 on their bills each year.

Written by Jasper Cullen

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