Dudley North MP Ian Austin will hand in a petition against the Council ' s huge hike in leaseholder charges with hundreds of names  this Friday (8 Dec 2010) at 12noon.

Austin launched his campaign for Dudley Council to reverse their decision to hit almost a thousand homeowners in the borough with higher charges after he was contacted by outraged local residents.

Hard working local families have been hit with a staggering 1750% increase – taking their yearly charges from £5.40 to £100.

The Council’s huge hike affects almost a thousand local families who brought their flats from the Council.  The Council retains the freehold and levies charges for repairs and management fees.

Residents affected by this increase already pay £54 a year into a separate major repair funds. Until this year they paid £5.40 a year for the management costs, which the council have now increased to £100. The council have also stated that the charges are not fixed and may well rise again next year.

The Council has also recently lost a case brought against them on the unfairness of this increase at the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal. However they are still yet to announce any changes on this policy.

Austin will present his petition at 12noon on the Council steps with local residents on Friday 8 December 2010.

Ian Austin MP said:

“During this tough economic climate people need more help, not huge increases like this on their bills.”

“It’s another example of Dudley Council increasing taxes and fees at the same time as cutting local services and closing facilities.”

“It is my job to stand up and fight for local hard working people, which is why I launched this campaign and petition to pressure the Council to reconsider this outrageous increase.”

“I want local people to join me on the steps of the Council house to show their support for this campaign and their anger at this awful decision.”