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Treasury forces council's hand

A lively debate is expected in the Douglas Council chamber on Wednesday, over the installation of central heating in the 130 local authority houses in Hillside Avenue, Douglas.

The council's policy is to use oil-fired heating on all its estates because of the cheaper running costs for its tenants.

However, it's been told by Treasury that any such petition for borrowing in relation to Hillside Avenue would be refused, because the installation costs are significantly higher than for gas powered systems.

Chairman of the Public Health and Housing Committee Mike Gelling says installation costs for oil might be higher but, at current prices, it would take only three years to cover the difference, through paying cheaper bills:

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