I've taken the opportunity to meet again with council officers this morning to discuss district heating schemes in the Barleycroft and Lower Meadow flats.

These flats are fitted with an old communal heating system; residents can't control their heating charges, and the council has to estimate bills in advance for the year, and catch up with over- or under-charges two years later. This can cause bills to see-saw up and down very violently - it's quite feasible for a resident to be charged £17 a week one year, £3 a week the year after, and then back up to £19 a week the year after that. Moreover, each block's bill is calculated separately, so bills will vary wildly from one block to the next.

These charges used to be included in the rent for council tenants, but for the last year or so they've been separated out. The council recently reviewed how this was operating, and has changed its systems slightly. It's also looking into measures to improve energy efficiency in the blocks to reduce costs overall.

It's something I'm keeping a close eye on, so if you've got a problem with communal heating charges in Barleycroft or Lower Meadow flats do get in touch with me.