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Protesters in Queen’s Crescent yesterday outside a council flat that is set to be auctioned off |
COUNCIL FLATS FOR HIGH FLIERS
Tenant fury at plan to raise cash by letting to top earners
COUNCIL homes are set to be offered on the private rental market for the first time in a move which would allow high earners to move into coveted properties ahead of families on the waiting list.
Housing chiefs believe the strategy could raise funds for their cash-starved department while keeping overall ownership of the homes.
And there would be no shortage of interest in Camden’s properties because of their attractive location in central London – perfect for high-flying young professionals.
Officials have in mind 500 homes which could be made available.
The income is a potential goldmine due to the notoriously high rents that are charged in the capital.
The money raised, the Town Hall insists, would be used to refurbish and repair the rest of its crumbling housing portfolio.
But the proposals have got the thumbs-down from tenants leaders across the borough who believe all available homes should be used to help those who cannot afford to rent privately or buy somewhere on the housing market.
There are 17,000 people waiting for a council home in Camden and the council has shown little sign of making a dent in the queue over the last decade. Objectors are angry at the idea that people in desperate circumstances might miss out on a flat because it had been rented out to somebody with far more comfortable economic circumstances.
Campaigners yesterday (Wednesday) took to the streets to protest against the current policy of selling off homes altogether, pitching up in front of a two-bedroom maisonette in Queen’s Crescent due to be auctioned off.
Housing chiefs are under pressure to raise money to bring all of Camden’s council homes up to a basic standard – set nationally. But they have missed out on traditional direct investment from the government due to a long-running dispute over the way properties should be managed. Tenants now want the Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition to try harder to broker a deal for funding with the government.
Meric Apak, chairman of the Camden Federation of Residents and Tenants, said: “We think the council should be working in partnership with tenants and lobby the government. But Camden is simply rolling over. The latest idea is refurbishing properties and then renting them at market rates. It is disgraceful. If Camden can find the money to do-up these properties, then why can’t they find the money to do the same for its council tenants?”
Mike Cookson Taylor, chairman of Camden Association of Street Properties, added: “The council has simply given up before the fight.”
While the council is pessimistic about the chances of levering more money out of the government, there is a fresh energy among Camden’s historically vocal tenants movement with many insisting that they had promised to fight on when Alan Walter, the organiser of pressure group Defend Council Housing from Kentish Town, died last month. Yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) protest was originally Mr Walter’s idea.
Camden’s new renting plan was devised specifically to avoid further sales, but the compromise has not dampened concerns among tenants.
Charlie Hedges, chairman of the Hampstead District Management Committee, said: “When they suggested it in our area, nobody voted in favour of it. People think those homes should be put in use as council housing.”
Liberal Democrat housing chief Councillor Chris Naylor was asked to explain the proposals at Monday’s full council meeting, pressed on the issue by Labour councillor Roger Robinson – who warned Town Hall chiefs against becoming “Rachman landlords” and reminding them of Camden’s “proud history of creating social housing.”
Cllr Naylor said the plans had yet to be agreed, but added: “Camden has not benefited from the direct government investment in council homes that other areas have enjoyed. Our council homes are in far greater need of improvement than in most local boroughs. This leaves us with a significant funding gap to catch up on essential Decent Homes works and other vital investment.”
He said: “Officers have been exploring options to find funding that will bridge the shortfall needed to pay for Decent Homes improvements by renting out for a limited period some of the empty properties – up to 500 – being considered for sale.” |
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YOUR COMMENTS:
All the people who can't get council housing in London should just leave. Let the rich sit in their own filth until they realise that the poor need places to live if they are to do the menial work.
Edina Dinde |
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