Agenda item
TO RECEIVE WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
(Maximum of 30 minutes allowed for this agenda item)
The questions which have been received from members of the public to be put at this meeting are set out in agenda item 6 attached.
Decision:
6.1 Question from Mr. Terry McGrenera to the Lead Member for Housing, Heritage and Planning, Councillor Marc Francis re: affordable housing
The above question and an oral supplementary question were put and were responded to by the Lead Member.
6.2 Question from Ms. Kate Gould to the Lead Member for Housing, Heritage and Planning, Councillor Marc Francis re: redevelopment of former Safeway site, Bow
This question was not put at the meeting as the questioner did not attend. Written response to be sent.
(Action by: John S. Williams, Service Head, Democratic Services)
Minutes:
6.1 Question from Mr. Terry McGrenera to the Lead Member for Housing, Heritage and Planning, Councillor Marc Francis
“Following the admission by Liam Byrne, Labour’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury on leaving the Treasury that there is no money and confirmed by the incoming Housing Minister, Grant Snapps, that the coffers are empty for affordable housing and that a ‘myriad’ of schemes will face the axe, what is the point of pursuing the objective of achieving the standards to obtain £200 million if there is no money at the end of the rainbow?”
Response of the Lead Member, Councillor Marc Francis
The Council’s objectives in establishing our Arms Length Management Organisation -Tower Hamlets Homes -were two fold:
Firstly, to improve the quality of housing management services as the ALMO must attain a minimum 2 star inspection rating from the Audit Commission. The council is working closely with Tower Hamlets Homes to improve services to tenants and leaseholders and prepare fully for inspection this November. Improving the standard of housing management is an important objective in its own right.
But the second objective is to unlock the £220 million Decent Homes funding promised earlier this year by the Labour Government to bring our remaining 13,000 homes up to a modern standard. While Tower Hamlets Council has not been told that funding may not be available if it does attain a 2 star inspection rating, I can say that I share Mr McGrenera’s anxieties.
The Tories have never made the case for more investment in social housing and the past two months have shown that the Lib Dems will sell their own grandmother for seats at the Cabinet table.
As with other housing projects that require government-funding, we are working hard to ensure that those commitments are honoured. Along with the Labour Leaders of Lambeth and Lewisham, which also have Round 6 ALMOs, we have made representations direct to the Housing Minister, Grant Shapps MP. Only last week in the House of Commons, our newly-elected MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, Rushanara Ali, asked the Prime Minister directly if he would honour Labour’s commitment to our tenants. He studiously failed to do so and instead, he made a vague statement about it all being looked at in the autumn Spending Review.
Well, I don’t need to tell anyone here that reneging on this commitment would be an absolute disgrace and so I hope that’s a message Cllr Archer and his colleagues will make sure is heard in Tory HQ.
In the meantime, we are making good progress with our own council-funded Decent Homes Pilots and I hope to be in a position to make a statement about additional pilot schemes in the next month or so.
Summary of supplementary question from Mr. McGrenera:
I would imagine that Tower Hamlets has as much chance of getting £220M as finding a pot of gold. Isn’t it the case that Labour’s whole policy on housing has been a failure? Would Councillor Francis admit that and will he give his apologies to local residents?
Summary of Lead Member’s response:
Mr. McGrenera has been a long standing critic of our housing policy. But as the elected representatives of this community, we have the authority to make decisions in the interests of our council tenants and leaseholders.
Whatever our differences over the remedy, there is no disagreement about the threat to council housing and social tenants from this Tory and Lib Dem Government. In just two months, they have cut our £2 million Housing & Planning Delivery Grant.
They are introducing caps on Housing Benefit, which will leave one thousand households in the private rented sector worse off every week and dump a £1-2 million bill on local Council Tax payers for homeless households in temporary accommodation. I expect our £15 million annual Supported Capital Expenditure for major works in 2011/12 will be chopped too. We all know this is the thin end of a very long wedge.
6.2 Question from Ms. Kate Gould to the Lead Member for Housing, Heritage and Planning, Councillor Marc Francis re: redevelopment of former Safeway site, Bow
This question was not put at the meeting as the questioner did not attend. A written response would be sent to the questioner.
Supporting documents: