ELECTRICITY DEPOSITS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29535, 9 June 1961, Page 2

ELECTRICITY DEPOSITS

No Charge In Future Deposits on electricity accounts payable to the Municipal Electricity Department will not be charged in future and those deposits at present held by the department will be returned or deducted from the electricity accounts, says a report from the last meeting of the Canterbury Housewives' Union. Prospective tenants of certain blocks of flats (those In buildings regarded as substandard) were asked to pay a deposit of £4 before electricity was switched on to the flat concerned This deposit was held by the department till Such time as the tenant moved a sain, and it was then refunded. It came to the not ; ce of the housewives' union that some o'd-age pensioners had rot been able to afford the deposit and were therefore without anv heat and light. The master was discussed at a mee’ing and later three members made the following representations to the department: That the union considered the £4 charge to be excessive: that any deposit be 'refunded after six months 12 months being the limit; that no deposit be charged where a person has proved integritv bv always having paid hi' electricity account in the past “Tn 1957 the deposit was raised from £1 to £’” sa’dj the union’s secretary (Mrs M i E. Furey) yesterdav It was raised to £4 in 1960 The age pension is only £l9 for four weeks and a pen'ioner cotild not afford to pav £4 on top of the rent and food when he .moved into a flat—especially when there was no nrosnect of having the deposit returned or deducted bom accounts till he left the fla* ” The reason for ‘.he deposit was that many bad deb‘« had accumulated in the M E.D. through tenants leaving flats without paying, their accounts. But the housewives’ union decided that too many honest persons were being penalised for the sake of a few.