| Defend Council Housing has published
it's initial submission
to the government's 'Review of Council Housing Finance' to
coincide with the Labour Party National Policy Forum starting
today. The forum is due to discuss amendments supporting the
'Fourth Option' for council housing.
The campaign has also modelled the impact of fully
funding allowances to make council housing sustainable
without breaking up the national HRA. Yvette Cooper, launching
the review last December, promised it would "ensure that we
have a sustainable, long term system for financing council
housing".
Successive governments have been robbing money out of
council housing, blackmailing tenants to accept privatisation
and discriminating against new council housing. They alone are
denied access to Social Housing Grant effectively ensuring new
homes are not 'council housing' with secure tenancies, lower
rents and an elected landlord that is directly accountable.
Councils are still using their lack of resources to try and
get tenants to accept one of the government's privatisation
options - now including the new 'Local Housing Company'
public/private partnerships.
The "‘Fourth Option’ for council housing makes sense"
submission sets out the case for government ending the robbery
from council housing to fund improvements to existing homes
and build a new generation of first class council housing to
meet housing need. Dozens of Constituency Labour Parties and
unions have submitted amendments
to Labour's national policy forum this weekend supporting the
campaign's demands which are also backed by the trade unions
and many MPs and councillors.
Labour Party conferences in 2004, 2005 and 2006
passed motions supporting the 'Fourth Option' for council
housing (report.
The 2007 conference agreed to refer Composite
6 to a special Housing Sub Group with the provision for
the movers and seconders to report back to the 2008 conference
if they are not satisfied with the outcome.
The Local Government Association, Chartered Institute of
Housing and others published a policy statement on 2 July
endorsing the campaign's key demands for ring-fencing all the
money that belongs to council housing (rents and receipts).
See DCH
website for report and analysis.
DCH has written to Housing Minister Iain Wright to complain
about the lack of tenant involvement in the government's
review process. We are still waiting for a formal reply.
Investment in first class council housing is urgently
needed to improve existing homes, meet the government's 2010
Decent Homes target and to start a new council housebuilding
programme. With the private housing market in meltdown
investment in first class council housing makes sense!
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