Tenants lobby Denham for right to own estates
Tenants and residents launched a borough-wide fightback against Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s plans to knock down council housing in the borough last night. At a highly-charged meeting at the House of Commons, social housing residents from across Hammersmith & Fulham declared their intention to stand shoulder to shoulder together against the Tory council’s plans.
The meeting was addressed by Communities and Local Government Secretary John Denham, Housing Minister John Healey and Minister for London Tessa Jowell. John Denham told the eighty residents’ representatives that they were in the vanguard of the battle for decent affordable homes in the UK, and that a Tory government would spread Hammersmith & Fulham’s policies across the country.
Last year, secret plans by Hammersmith & Fulham (dubbed ‘Cameron’s favourite council’) to demolish 3,500 homes on seven estates and remove security of tenure from all social housing tenants were revealed by local Labour Andy Slaughter MP who obtained details under the Freedom of Information Act.
Residents responded by declaring they would stay in their homes and in the case of West Kensington and Gibbs Green are using new Government legislation to take ownership of their estates. John Healey said this is the first time that tenants have come together to use the legislation.
The lobby was organised by Andy Slaughter, MP for Shepherds Bush and candidate for the new Hammersmith seat. The meeting also heard speeches from Hammersmith & Fulham Opposition Leader, Stephen Cowan, GLA member Nicky Gavron, housing consultant Jonathan Rosenberg who is advising the tenants, Les Jackson of White City Estate, Maureen Way of West Kensington Estate and Desiree Briscoe-Mcleary of Queen Caroline Estate.
Andy Slaughter comments: ‘Today Boris Johnson is falsely claiming to have increased the number of affordable homes in London. But, as in Hammersmith & Fulham, any new affordable homes were approved by the previous Labour administration. The Tories’ true attitude to low-cost homes is shown by their demolition and disposals policy in councils like Hammersmith, Kensington and Westminster. If a Cameron Government follows the advice of his town hall proteges by ending security of tenure and raising rents to market levels, the future of four million families across the UK is at risk.’
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