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Coalition should heed tenants over the housing fiasco
THE council is, undoubtedly, facing an extraordinary crisis on its housing front.
And matters will not get better in the coming years as the government – whether it be led by David Cameron or by Labour or by a kind of coalition – grapples with the fall-out of massive debt triggered by the current financial crisis.
The turn politics may take in Britain will depend, of course, on the degree of cohesiveness in society. But whatever the cards may throw up, Camden councillors have to deal with life as it is today.
Government ministers – clearly with the nod from Gordon Brown – certainly aren’t making things easy.
Labour councillors say they are trying to persuade the government to reverse its hard-nosed decision not to release nearly £300million – once temptingly waved in front of the council – for the modernisation of our council estates.
Only two months ago, despite the sound and fury of today’s crisis, sympathetic noises were made by Housing Minister Margaret Beckett in the direction of Labour MPs advocating a reversal of policy – a reversal that would lead to the large-scale construction of council homes.
Alistair Darling’s budget appears to have put paid to that.
Sometime ago, the Lib-Dem/Tory coalition – clearly in a desperate mood – appears to have started to consider a move that will turn things upside-down.
An idea that the council should put council flats on the private rental market has apparently taken flight. We revealed this move last week.
This week housing leader Councillor Chris Naylor denies that his colleagues have considered “specific proposals”. Beyond that he is silent (see Letters page 13). We can assume therefore that the general proposition is under debate.
Ranged against the idea is the fear that by privately letting of council flats the council is, effectively, opening the door to the eventual privatisation of much of the authority’s housing stock. Thus, out of the window, will go one of cornerstones the local authority has rested on for nearly a century!
If council properties are let privately on a large scale this will lead to a massive gentrification of the borough. The social fallout of this would be disastrous.
The coalition asks: What can we do? We need funding now to bring council homes up to date.
While this is true, they should forego the lure of the private market.
If the coalition were to seriously engage in debate with their tenants, they would start to see daylight. The tenants are calling on councillors to join them in pressurising the government to think again.
They should be heeded.
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