SOCIAL housing provider Incommunities and the Acorn union are in a wrangle over a tower block in the city.

York House in Thorpe Edge, which has been at the centre of serious concerns about the standard of properties, is to be decommissioned.

Acorn delivered 20 signed demand letters to Incommunities’ directors to highlight issues surrounding the properties, as well as what was described as a “very short” consultation period on the decommissioning and a “lack of communication”.

The union said it was seeking a written commitment by Incommunities that York House tenants will be given the choice of which postcode to move to once the block comes down; that compensation is raised from £7,100 to £12,000 and that a senior manager from Incommunities visits York House to speak with tenants.

Rizi Yasin, branch secretary of Acorn Bradford, claimed: “After our first action outside Incommunities, we were told that they'd be willing to meet us to discuss the issues in York House. That was over a month ago, and since then we've heard nothing, which shows they think ignoring their tenants will make us back off.

“Acorn isn’t about that. We're not going to give up until Incommunities give proper compensation to York House residents and come to York House to explain themselves.”

A spokesperson for Incommunities said Acorn attended its offices on several occasions and has “not been willing to work towards a positive outcome”.

“We have responded to their queries and invited them to sit down with us which they refused. We are happy to work with and for all our residents however it is unclear who exactly Acorn is representing and what their motivations are,” the spokesperson said.

They said safety is being maintained and the full repairs service is being delivered and added: “All residents were made aware of the legally mandated consultation period and ways to respond.”

More than 80 per cent of those who responded to the consultation were in favour of the block being decommissioned.

Incommunities said it has been meeting individually with York House residents, with open sessions held twice a week, and the spokesperson said this is a “more tailored process” than a choice of postcode.

“As a part of this process a statutory home loss payment of £7,100 is given the residents to compensate for the disruption,” said the spokesperson and added that residents are also eligible for assistance to a move into a new home, all removal costs and, where appropriate, liaison with support workers, family, or friends.