Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY Published: 20 September 2007
Labour’s Theo Blackwell
Town Hall homes to go under the hammer as sell-off begins
Properties expected to raise millions as Lib Dems face accusations of hypocrisy
FOUR council houses in highly sought after locations have gone on the market in a bid to raise more than £3 million for Town Hall coffers. The sale has been seen as the start of one of the widest property sell-offs ordered by Camden in recent memory after officials were controversially told to identify empty houses that are ripe for sale.
The street properties up for grabs are meant to be used to ease the massive waiting list for council homes, but will instead fall into the hands of private owners.
Housing chiefs have instructed auctioneers to sell the homes at the start of next month.
Likely to be of most interest to bidders is a three-floor home in Primrose Gardens, Belsize Park, which is expected to raise no less than £1.4 million. Although there will be no surprise if it fetches up to £2 million. Camden is also to offload a terraced house in Prince of Wales Road, Kentish Town, for around £500,000 and properties in Southampton Road, Gospel Oak, and Burrard Road, West Hampstead.
The official line is that the homes are in need of expensive refurbishment work which would prove too costly for the council to embark on, while Camden is looking for vacant properties that can be sold in order to raise money to pay for other work.
The sale, to be held at The Café Royal in Regent Street on October 1, has nevertheless seen the Liberal Democrats accused of hypocrisy as the marketing of the homes came as a key Camden member used conference fringe meetings to insist she wanted to save council properties from privatisation on behalf of tenants.
Jo Shaw, the Parliamentary candidate to take on Labour’s Frank Dobson in Holborn and St Pancras at the next general election, has spoken at several meetings at the party’s get-together in Brighton.
She criticised the Labour government for refusing to fund repairs to Camden’s council homes. Investment has been frozen on the grounds that tenants have voted against Whitehall policy of transferring management away from local authorities. Tenants have since campaigned for ‘fourth-option funding’, amounting to traditional direct investment.
Ms Shaw said: “The fourth option of funding, which puts councils on an equal playing field with other housing providers, is the right one for the people of Camden – they’ve told us so.
“When it comes to council tenants Labour has its fingers in its ears, its hands over its eyes and its mouth firmly shut. The fourth option means council tenants can know who their landlord is, can hold them to account, and have a decent home.
“Labour has given up on council tenants. It’s up to us to stand up for our community, our council tenants and to fight poverty.”
But critics say her conference comments jar with the stance of the Liberal Democrats at the Town Hall, who, instead of launching an all-out campaign to prise direct investment from ministers, have begun doing deals with housing asosociations and selling off street properties.
Labour’s deputy leader Councillor Theo Blackwell said: “I know that the councillors that are going to our conference (in Bournemouth next week) will be lobbying ministers to provide funding for Camden’s council homes. The Lib Dems in Camden are beginning to sell off properties in Camden, which is exactly what tenants don’t want.
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