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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 25 October 2007

Direct investment a must for council homes future

Open letter to government ministers and Camden councillors

• WE want direct investment to improve council homes and estates.
We don’t want to lose our secure tenancies or a landlord we can hold to account or see our rents and charges increase. Nor do we want estates privatised, council homes sold, caretaking services contracted out and housing services centralised or cut back.
We are angry that government is still refusing to respect our choice and that Camden Council is now helping them by promoting an “options appraisal” strategy that takes pressure off government – ignoring the views of the District Management Committees and other elected representatives which almost unanimously rejected their proposals – when we need to be stepping the pressure up.
The council’s latest “Investing in Camden’s homes” ‘CONsultation’ exercise is a manipulative and expensive waste of (our) money.
It does not give the council a mandate to sell, privatise or cut services.
Their strategy means council housing will remain massively underfunded, services will get worse, rents and charges will rise faster, there will be less homes for people on the waiting list, and the government will walk away from its obligations and manifesto commitment.
The council’s proposal is not a one-off pragmatic solution. Winning the “Fourth Option” of direct investment is the only way to get sufficient funding for the immediate improvements we need to our homes and estates and secure the long-term future for council housing in Camden.
The council’s strategy will see them come back for more sales, privatisation and cuts every year.
We formally oppose Camden Council’s “options appraisal” submission to government based on sales, privatisation, cuts and centralisation of services and demand that they withdraw it.
We demand that our elected representatives join with tenants, trade unions, councillors and MPs across the UK to get government to respect tenants’ choice and agree the “Fourth Option” of direct investment to provide first class council housing.
BERYL ALLEN
Vice chair Holborn DMC
Brian Pordage
Chair Kentish Town DMC
Lorraine Revas
Chair Gospel Oak DMC
Alan Walter
Vice chair
Kentish Town DMC

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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