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Homes sell-off unacceptable
• IN response to the article (Developers pay millions at council’s homes auction, February 28).
As already stated elsewhere: “There can be no better time than the present for politicians to set their differences aside, banish all thoughts of vying for personal advantage, and work together for the good of the people they collectively represent”
Surely the time is also right for Camden councillors from all political parties to place their differences aside in order to stop these sales and to fight for the investment which is so desperately needed for all our council homes.
Many Camden Association of Street Properties members tell us that they have spoken to their councillors, who would all prefer the option of direct investment to the present course of action (selling-off empty properties) which they are at pains to convey has been forced upon them.
As also implied in your Comment (February 28) we have a ludicrous situation here, a situation where central government policy is going against the wishes of local people, councillors from all political parties, and the wider local interests of our communities and social environment.
We are aware that Camden is planning a further meeting with the new housing minister, Caroline Flint, and we feel most strongly that we all need to get on board and force a strong Camden cross-party and tenant deputation.
CASP has consistently demanded adequate government funding of council housing, which was clearly available if the arms-length management organisation had been accepted, to safeguard public housing with democratic accountability.
Many of our street properties have provided homes to generations of families over the years and the current plan of selling-off even a limited number of empty (non-occupied) street properties is completely unacceptable (as well as nonsensical) at a time when demand for council housing far exceeds supply.
Historically, tenants living in council street properties have always made their views known on the issue of stock transfer and selling off these properties.
These same views were also expressed by the association at a deputation to Camden’s executive on December 12 2007.
In the current climate, the association also continues to be concerned about the prospect of PFI and stock transfer of tenanted (non-empty) street properties, but at present there appears to be no concrete proposal to push ahead with either of these options, although we are very aware of such things happening in neighbouring boroughs.
The association now formally calls for an urgent meeting with the leaders of Camden Council (Cllrs Keith Moffitt and Andrew Marshall) and Cllr Chris Naylor, Camden’s executive member for housing, including the leaders of Camden’s Labour and Green parties in order to take this process forward and to give this issue the attention it rightly deserves.
We also invite every Camden tenant representative and Camden councillor to get involved in the process as this is surely one time when it is imperative that we work together, side by side in order to end this debacle once and for all.
Any concerned Camden street property tenant or resident can email CASP at camdenstreetproperties@ yahoo.co.uk
We’re not calling for a revolution but we are calling for some unity.
Richard Ford, Geoff Smith,
Mike Cookson Taylor,
Jessica Marsh, David Rodgers, Kathleen O’donoghue, Petra Dando, Terence Ewing,
Martin Carroll, (CASP),
Cllr Anna Stewart,
Cllr Geethika Jayatilaka, and 19 street property tenants and residents
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