RESIDENTS living in Castletown’s sheltered housing complexes at Sandfield and Millhope are paying an extra £10 a week for their heating bill.
It’s a lot for those living on fixed incomes and there have been claims – made anonymously in a letter to Isle of Man Newspapers – that some residents are turning the heating off, getting cold, and cutting back on food to pay the heating bill.
But the rise is necessary to cover the escalating cost of oil, said the governing body, the Castletown and Malew Elderly Persons’ Board (CAMEP) and measures are being taken to alleviate the problem.
Residents of the 42 flats and bungalows were told in September the heating bill would increase by £10 a week. This was on top of a 10 per cent rent increase in April.
‘How can they justify £10 a week for everyone?’ said Stewart Cubbon, whose father Edwin is a resident. ‘They are all on low incomes. A lot of them are turning their radiators off, but they still get charged. The boiler is always on. I would have thought the commissioners would have a better idea, put the boiler on a timer … this has put hardship on a few of them.’
Clerk of the board, Eddie Convery, said: ‘It’s an ongoing issue because of the oil increase, it’s an issue in Castletown and with other authorities. With government we are taking steps to remedy the situation, such as having the heating on a timer, insulation, fitting individual thermostats. When we had the meeting we emphasised that part of the problem is in their own hands. We were urging them to be careful. We are reviewing the position in April, we are hoping to minimise the rate increase, but cannot guarantee that.’
The town’s MHK Richard Ronan said: ‘This is a very unfortunate situation. I’m obviously disappointed payments have to go up, I’m reassured by the board [CAMEP] and the Department of Social Care that all that can be done has been done. I have had meetings with both the board and the housing department and am pleased that we are able to move forward, hopefully, schemes that will, in the long term, reduce heating payments through measures like increased insulation, and other schemes which will drive down heating costs. Though that does not help at the moment, it will in the long term.’
He added: ‘It’s not the only complex. Lessons have to be learned.
‘I’m satisfied that the board will give regular updates to the residents on the finances of the two complexes, to help them get a clearer understanding of the situation.’
Steps are also being taken to reduce consumption, he said. ‘We want to provide incentives to keep their use of heating at a sensible level. We don’t want anyone to be cold, but we have asked residents to be careful with their heating and if they do not need it on, do not put it on, to keep costs down.
‘It’s about making properties thermally efficient, we need to drive that up. I was blown away by Reayrt Y Chrink [the new sheltered housing complex in Port St Mary], that is something we can all learn from, this is something we should aim for, getting a standard across the island.’
He added: ‘The board [CAMEP] has been very proactive. Anyone suffering hardship should see their warden, in confidence, and we will try our best to help them.’
