"You're all going home to nice warm housing, I'm not": Mayor invited to spend night in 'freezing' flats as he stands firm on rent rise

A resident at one of the 'freezing' blocks of flats in Pendleton, which has been left without cladding for years, invited Salford's City Mayor to spend the night at her flat.

Eithne Crowson, 69, who lives in Holm Court, spoke at a council scrutiny meeting on Monday, February 28, after a decision to increase the rent in the nine tower blocks by 4.1 per cent was 'called in' by Tory councillors.

"I would like to ask the mayor... if he would like to stay in my house for a night or two.

"You've got to see what other people are going through," she said.

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"You're all going home to nice warm housing, I'm not," Eithne added, pointing towards the panel of councillors.

The Growth & Prosperity Scrutiny Panel made the 'unprecedented' decision to send the rent increase back to the City Mayor, Paul Dennett, for proportionality.

"This has not happened before. We've never managed to turn all the Labour councillors against the Labour Mayor," said Conservative Councillor Robin Garrido, who was first to 'call in' the decision.

Eight of the panel voted to send the decision back to Coun Dennett, with two abstaining, and none voting against.

Coun Garrido said: "This is an unpresented decision and it was a victory for common sense. There was an injustice against the tenants. I managed to convince all members of the committee it wasn't right."

Coun Garrido, together with fellow Conservative committee member Darren Ward, argued that the increased service charges and rent 'are not proportionate to the service received based on the reduced services and facilities received over the last five years'.

Coun Garrido told the meeting that freezing the rent