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Revisiting urban myths
• ONCE again on the issue of council housing, rather than aiming to start an informed debate, the New Journal has simply stoked residents’ anger and played on people’s fears (Selling off our council houses? July 9).
Residents have every right to express an opinion, and to be concerned about the need to make thousands of homes decent, and to be worried over what is happening to the housing stock.
But you have failed to provide the residents that you interview with the facts, and so you are merely giving urban myths credence.
You surely know that the council does not have “millions in the banks from people buying their own flats” as one of your interviewees believes.
The scandalous fact of the matter is, this government takes the money from right to buy sales away from councils, and reinvests it in who knows what (the national surveillance database, the Trident replacement?)
Also, it’s infuriating how you keep reporting with touching faith various Labour ministers dropping hints that maybe, just maybe, there will indeed be some repairs money forthcoming.
A simple call to the Treasury press office would have revealed that this is untrue.
Half of the money recently announced to build 3,000 new council homes is coming from “reprioritising” the housing budget up to 2011. In short, this means that there will be even less money available for repairs, to pay for the eye-catching 3,000 new homes.
Residents might be interested to know this. Will you inform them?
LEE BAKER
Regent Square, WC1
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