Greens oppose yet another attempt to privatise Council Housing
On 29th January the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, “ordered” the biggest council house-building programme for decades and urged town halls to rescue the construction industry and help to kick-start the economy.(1)
- The arguments used by Neath-Port Talbot Council are identical to those used by Swansea Council in 2007:
- The cost of meeting the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2012 will be millions of pounds, which the council does not have.
- The only realistic option is to transfer the housing stock to a “social landlord”.
- Not doing so would lead to an increase in rents and Council Tax.
In addition to calling for full implementation of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, and supporting the Prime Minister’s demand for new council housing, the Wales Green Party is also calling on the Government to:
Ø Stop council house sales
Ø Introduce first-time buyer grants, which could help revive the private housing market and would also be available to private sector tenants who receive no help at present
Ø Make extra efforts to bring empty homes into use
Ø Support councils who want to set up their own building companies to build new homes
Ø Ensure all the new homes are energy and water efficient
Jake Griffiths, Leader of Wales Green Party said, “The Green Party was at the forefront of last years successful campaign to reject such moves in Swansea, and we will be at the forefront of the campaign to prevent this happening in Neath-Port Talbot. The statement by Robert Rees, Head of Housing at Neath-Port Talbot beggars belief. He begins with, “I’m not saying this to frighten people …” and then goes on to do precisely that by claiming that rents will have to “double or even triple” if the housing stock is not transferred. If that’s not scare mongering then I don’t know what is! Since these fallacious arguments were rejected in Swansea there has not been a significant increase in either rents or Council Tax. What there has been is an increase in repairs and upgrading in preparation for meeting the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
Jake Griffiths continued, “This is absolutely the wrong time for Neath-Port Talbot to be following a policy that has been soundly rejected by over two and a half million tenants across the UK. Given the parlous state of the economy and the building trade at present, it is unthinkable that a local authority should be proposing to pass the problem of housing standards over to the private sector. Despite all their reassurances about the housing being transferred to a “tenant-owned” social landlord, we know from past experience that his is nothing short of the first step to privatisation.
“Neath-Port Talbot should be following the Prime Ministers lead and looking at ways to achieve the Welsh Housing Quality Standards rather than wasting ratepayers time and money on an unnecessary and unwanted ballot about transfer.”
ENDS
For further information contact Jake Griffiths from the Wales Green Party on 07752754537 and cantongreens@hotmail.co.uk or locally at Swansea Green Party Press Office: 0845 345 5768 or 079 1467 7150; swanseagreenpress@ntlworld.com
Notes:
(1) “Gordon Brown orders thousands of new council houses
Biggest building programme since the 1950s”:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5614919.ece
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