Botched repair jobs blights more than 60 per cent of those surveyed

The survey, conducted by Islington Council’s conservation department, shows that out of 50 Grade II and Grade II listed properties, a whopping 33 need remedial work to fix repairs done by Partners for Improvement in Islingotn (PfI).

That’s more thatn 60 per cent, and with 579 listed buildings managed by PfI, up to 350 of them could well need restoration work.

Micheal Read, who raised concerns about damage to listed buildings eight years ago, said: “I told the then head of planning, Mr Alex Forshaw, way back in 2006 of the destruction taking place to the authority’s prized historic assets. I know he read Partners the riot act at the time.

“But it is apparent that the vandalism continued and continues.

He added; “Officers and politicians signed up the taxpayer to paying £2m a month for the next 30 years on these (PfI) contracts.

“Such rank incompetence and spendthrift lunacy should be borne in mind when these same individuals have the sheer gall to whinge about austerity cuts in public services.”

Islington Council initially promised a report in 2012, before finally delivering it in 2014. It has now pledged to now expand the scope of the survey.

Cllr James Murray, Islington Council’s executive member for housing and development, said: “We have been looking into a number of Partners’ properties in great detail following concerns that work they did some years ago does not meet our planning rules.

“We are now insisting that Partners put things right where this is the case. We will keep doing this until all the failings have been put right, at no cost to the council or residents for the extra work. We are also working with Partners to ensure that similar issues do not arise in future.“

A spokesman for PfI said: “we have worked closely with the planning Department during their review.

“Issues identified to date have been minor and we have addressed them or are doing so.

“We are pleased that since 2012 we have had a fuller and clearer agreement with the planning department about how we work with them, which has been working well.”