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No money from the minister
• WELL done to my friend Dave Hoefling for shrewdly and swiftly spotting the problem with Labour’s latest housing minister (Letters, October 1).
One week the minister approves “very much” hoping property sales “will form the basis on which the council can move forward towards achieving the Decent Homes standard” (New Journal,September 24).
The very next week he backtracks and fudges, telling you he “plans to look very hard” at the issue (October 1).
Of course, it’s all rubbish. John Healey hasn’t got any money to give Camden for bringing the council’s housing stock up to decent standard.
And even if he had got the money, just like his predecessors he wouldn’t give it. So sales it is, or no decent homes to live in.
In fact the truth is that far from giving out any more money, the Labour government is taking back money (more than £830million since June) from six London boroughs which had been allocated it for “Decent Homes” repairs and improvements.
You report on your front page (Stalking of minister in homes row, October 1) that the housing minister “ummed and ahhed” about the issue.
Of course he ummed and ahhed. He’s a Labour politician. It’s the typical behaviour that has led so many people to despair of government spokesmen ever daring to tell the truth – and sticking to it.
Mukul Hira
Chalton Street, NW1
Labour will freeze sale of council properties
• AS someone who grew up on the Regent’s Park estate I feel that there can be no justification for selling council housing thus reducing the stock of affordable housing, whether that held by Camden or by other registered social landlords.
There are over 17,000 people on the housing waiting list and that number is increasing rapidly.
Of course, we accept that the decision of Camden’s tenants to vote against the arms’-length management organisation has reduced the options open to the council to secure resources to deliver on the Decent Homes standards. But that never stopped us fighting for a better deal for Camden, while others preferred to sit back and extract political capital from the government.
Housing minister John Healey has allowed councils to build new council housing. Just two weeks ago a Camden housing association received £42million from the government to build 300 new homes in the borough. This was the largest amount given in the country, but where was Camden Council’s bid to develop new council homes?
The minister is also seeking to change to the arcane rules relating to council housing revenue account, which will now allow more money collected from Camden tenants to be used for repairs rather than given directly to the government. Camden now has the ability to explore all the financial options, outside the sale of council housing, which may be available to improve the existing housing stock, but I have heard nothing on this from the leadership of the council on how they are going to get the best out of this opportunity for local people.
Also lost in this debate, however, are the consequences of a Conservative government and their policy on Camden’s housing. Here in Camden they have watered down the 50 per cent affordable housing rule introduced by Ken Livingstone. In their flagship authority of Hammersmith and Fulham, their leader Stephen Greenhalgh describes social housing as “barracks for the poor.” In June, the council announced plans to demolish estates containing 3,500 homes, classifying them as “not decent neighbourhoods”.
We will commit a Labour council to freeze any sale of council properties and look to bring in needed money from the sale of under-utilised public sector lands identified in the council’s ongoing Property Review.
We must maximise the stock of social housing if we are to tackle the chronic housing crisis in the borough. Social housing allocated to those in greatest need, with security of tenure and social rents are core Labour values which will be at the forefront of the election campaign next May.
Cllr Nasim Ali
Leader of the Labour Group
Affordable!
• THE Tories and Lib Dems are not only flogging off our council homes to developers at rock bottom prices. they are abandoning the 50 per cent target for affordable homes.
This means hardly any new affordable homes will be built in the vast majority of new developments. With 18,000 on the waiting list, how are they are going to provide for them?
Katharine Bligh, NW6
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