SHELTERED housing tenants opposed to the introduction of fixed weekly heating fees will voice their concerns to councillors next week.

Residents of Queens Court in Richmond believe the new system will penalise those who are careful, as they will end up covering the cost of less frugal tenants.

Last month, 29 of the 35 residents signed a petition calling for their landlords, Richmondshire District Council, to reinstate the smart metres.

Since they have collected almost 500 signatures. This means they can now present the petition at a full council meeting on Tuesday, July 25.

Richmondshire District Council decided to remove smart metres from four of its sheltered housing schemes in January after two systems failed.

The standard charge system was deemed “more cost effective, simple to use and equitable.”