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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 16 January 2009

Political costs of homes at ‘knock-down’ prices

• REGARDING the buying back at huge mark-ups from the selling price of council stock flats sold in the “Homes for Votes” scandal – and thereafter – it is very difficult to justify Paul Dimoldenberg’s claims that it is all Westminster City Council’s fault (Porter homes bought back, January 9).
His Labour central government have not revoked the buying of council flats since and, indeed, are telling Westminster Council to meet the needs of the growing population in Westminster in housing by buying back stock.
Many Labour MPs have bought council flats at knock-down prices and didn’t seem to mind.
I fought against the Homes for Votes policy as a Westminster tenant in the late 1980s when social engineering was used to ensure that the Conservatives would win the local elections after they narrowly beat Labour at that time and especially the housing cabinet member at the time, and obviously Shirley Porter.
The whole problem is that demand exceeds supply and the demand side must be addressed. In fact four years ago when I suggested this I was called a racist by my housing association. I had transferred from the council when I was trying to downsize from a three to a two-bedroom and it took nearly five years.
I am not a racist. I am a pragmatist and I have told our MP Karen Buck and Sir Simon Milton on quite a few occasions that Church Street ward and others are full up.
There is no more building space to be found and when you have portable cabins in every school in that area there has got to be a problem.
But is anyone listening?
Yes Westminster are/were culpable in social engineering to their advantage and for the scandal.
But there is a question about who was originally to blame
and who is to blame now with the diktats from the Labour government.
Suffice to say, my father-in-law, who still lives in Church Street ward and is a leaseholder, received a council letter to ask if he would like to sell only a few weeks ago.
And he is 86 years old. Enough said.
James Quinn
Blenheim Crescent, W11

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
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