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Our lost homes
• NEW Labour councillor Gary Doolan correctly points out the minimal impact that Lib Dem plans to build social rented homes in Islington will actually make, but in his bid to make accusations of “gesture politics” he fails to address his own party’s responsibility for the nation’s housing crisis (False hope for families, August 24).
Since New Labour came to power, there has been a half a million rise in numbers in England’s council waiting lists.
New Labour has handed over billions to keep homeless families (the number of which has doubled since New Labour has been in government) in bed-and-breakfast accommodation and more recently in homes leased from the private sector, rather than investing money in building new council homes.
In London, the percentage of families living in overcrowded homes has risen by six per cent over the last 10 years. Thanks to New Labour, almost a million of the nation’s children are living in overcrowded homes.
Over the last six years the number of social rented homes available to let nationally has dropped by a third and overall social housing stock has fallen by five per cent. London suffered an average net loss of 5,000 social rented homes between 1992 and 2004.
The country’s total amount of what New Labour is promising in terms of additional “affordable homes” over the next three years is unlikely to be sufficient to replace even a quarter of London’s loss over that period of time.
“Gesture politics” is not the exclusive preserve of the Lib Dems, as Cllr Doolan ably demonstrates.
SHARON HAYWARD
Independent Working Class Association, WC1
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