Flats Insurance Increase

RESIDENTS in the Leigh Heath Court block are facing a sudden demand to pay an extra £2,000 annually, due to a drastic surge in insurance premiums for their flats.

Overnight, insurance costs escalated from £17,000 to £100,000, stemming from cladding-related increases following the Grenfell tragedy.

Consequently, each of the 42 flat occupants is now burdened with a £2,300 yearly payment to cover the escalated insurance expenses.

Sarah Watkins, 59, the director of Leigh Heath Court and spokesperson for residents, said: “We are calling for the justice of being looked at as an individual case.

“We were just put into a pot with every single tower block. Because the building is under 20metres, we cannot apply for government support to get the cladding removed and we need action now, it is a struggle to get anyone in the insurance market to hear our individual case.

“It is such a high premium in this economic climate, that we are unable to spend anything else on maintaining the building, it’s a lot of money for people, even though it has never been deemed unsafe and we will suffer because of this.

“It makes you fearful to see what this year’s premium could be, we haven’t been able to budget for it.”

The MP for Southend West Anna Firth and the Tory Councillor for Leigh Owen Cartey visited the flats, after Ms Firth had raised the issue on the House of Commons.

Ms Firth said: “The current injustice being done to all the residents at Leigh Heath Court is outrageous and unfair.

“I have visited Leigh Heath Court and written to Ministers countless times since this issue was first raised with me and the fact, we are still awaiting a solution is quite simply, unacceptable.”

Picture: Anna Firth MP and Coun Cartey at the 100-year-old building.

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