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Questions over homes sell-off
Town Hall slammed for auctioning properties during housing market slump
TENANTS and backbench councillors have berated the Town Hall for selling off council properties during a housing market slump.
Council chiefs have pushed through six more homes to be sold at auction on Monday and another batch will be sold at the start of next month. More than 70 have already been flogged.
Critics say the homes should have been used to help people stranded on the waiting list for council properties.
Liberal Democrat housing boss Councillor Chris Naylor struggled to bat away criticism of the sell-offs at a meeting of the council’s housing scrutiny committee at the Town Hall on Tuesday night.
He maintained only homes in need of heavy refurbishment work were being sold – although he added that for “political reasons” he was not personally involved in the final selection.
And fresh focus was heaped on the nagging question as to whether the council is getting the best deal.
Of chief concern remains a block of three flats in Russell Nurseries Estate in Belsize Park which were sold two months ago for £560,000 and have since been marketed at £250,000 each. There is no suggestion that the developer has acted against the rules.
Larraine Revah, who lives on the estate, told the meeting: “I was in those flats not six months ago and there was not much wrong with them.
“Our estate was the last purpose-built estate in Camden so there shouldn’t be too much wrong with it. I think the council targeted our estate because of the location because it is in Belsize Park.”
Tory councillor Chris Philp who chairs the panel said he would do personal research with the land registry to see whether Camden had got a good deal.
“We need to make sure we are getting the best value from our properties for the tax-payer,” he said.
Cllr Naylor said he was keeping an eye on what happened to the Belsize Park flats but added that legal covenants ensured they could not be sold on without any refurbishment work.
“The guide price we set is just the guide price. It is a public auction and we rely on the market for the final price,” he added.
He said he had toured an estate in Holborn last week and found tenants happy with how the money generated from the sales had been used.
“There are people who are relieved that after so many years, an interest is being taken in their homes,” Cllr Naylor said. “There are homes that haven’t been looked at for 40 or 50 years.”
He will face tough opposition on Monday night when councillors challenge him over the sales at a full council meeting and will also answer questions in the chamber over the quality of new kitchens and bathrooms being installed. |
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