Bromley and Tower Hamlets’ negotiations with GLA stall
London councils in targets standoff
Two London councils have still not had their affordable housing targets signed off by the mayor’s office, it emerged this week.
The councils which have not had their 2008 to 2011 targets agreed by the Greater London Authority are Bromley - which is Conservative shadow planning minister Bob Neill’s constituency - and Tower Hamlets.
Labour-run Tower Hamlets is represented by food, farming and environment minister Jim Fitzpatrick and Respect MP George Galloway.
Bromley Council’s leader, Stephen Carr, said: ‘We have not negotiated a target. I am not minded to change that. The mayor has been very accommodating. I have left it in his court. If he wants us to deliver on his manifesto commitment, he must deliver on other commitments like infrastructure and providing for outer London.’
He said he preferred the current system of negotiated targets rather than ones set by the GLA when Ken Livingstone was mayor.
But the mayor’s housing advisor Richard Blakeway said Bromley had already built more than the mayor’s desired target of 795 homes from 2008 to 2011.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are happy with their performance. It [the housing target] will eventually be signed. We are happy with it but because it has already been surpassed there isn’t the urgency to do it.’
Mr Blakeway said Tower Hamlets was in talks with the Government Office for London and central government about reducing its local area agreement target for affordable housing from 5,064 homes.
He said the new target they agree with GoL and Communities and Local Government department will be their revised target for the London Housing Strategy. Tower Hamlets did not comment on the figure it wants to achieve.
Overall, the strategy said London’s boroughs would build 40,917 affordable homes between 2008 and 2011. Originally the mayor’s target had been to build 50,000 affordable homes by 2011. That has since been put back to 2012.
The next round of affordable housing targets from 2011 will come from boroughs’ delegated delivery contracts with the Homes and Communities Agency.
Mr Blakeway said the mayor would bid for funding through the government’s comprehensive spending review to enhance the decent homes standard in London by adding a carbon reduction commitment and including improvements to communal areas and lifts.
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Readers' comments (5)
Dave Hollins | 05/03/2010 8:23 am
"The Mayor has been very accommodating". Well no surprise there then. These Tories will do everything to avoid building affordable homes, even the current figures include homes designed for people on incomes of £75K. Affordable housing policy has to be geared towards provision for people on low incomes, with so many people waiting for homes for social rent it is criminal to put people in the higher income brackets first. The policies of Lady Porter live on in the modern Tory party.
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stella hargreaves | 06/03/2010 4:45 am
Meanwhile, Shelter reported on the midday BBC news on Wed 3rd March that there are 350,000 children in London living in overcrowded accommodation....
The term 'affordable housing' is to my mind a con. whcih can mean anything you want it to mean, including as Dave Hollins says homes for people getting 75K.
I recommend anyone interested in the Peabody H.A to take a look at www.peabodytenants.co.uk
This is the unofficial peabody tenants website and forum and a healthy antidote to the official Peabody propagasnda; it was set up and is run by a Peabody Tenant.
What's the point of setting targets, when the real answer is to stop H.As and councils selling off or market-renting properties, and when this government hasn't had the guts to call a halt to the 'right to buy' council houses?
Also, in central London and doubtless in other places, there are uninhabited properties left to rot for years , which councils have the right to compulsoraly purchase. Why don't they do it?
Peabody chief exec admits to sales of 800 properties and market renting of another 200. Many Peabody tenants who think about this issue believe the real figures are higher than this. I think the govt is wishing to throw many people in housing need onto the privately rented market.
DON'T FORGET! have a read at
www.peabodytenants.co.uk
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Colin | 07/03/2010 5:48 am
" Mr Blakeway said Tower Hamlets was in talks with the Government Office for London and central government about reducing its local area agreement target for affordable housing from 5,064 homes."
And Tower Hamlets is a Conservative Borough right Dave ?
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Bannside | 08/03/2010 10:38 am
"...in central London and doubtless in other places, there are uninhabited properties left to rot for years , which councils have the right to compulsoraly purchase. Why don't they do it?"
Yes, Why not? And why are Empty Dwelling Management Orders not used? What action do Local Authorities take to address the waste of homes left empty for no good reason?
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Stephen Carr | 08/03/2010 12:55 pm
I need to point out that Mr Blakeway is simply wrong with his numbers. Bromley has not exceeded this build target for 2008/11. He is also wrong to assume a target will eventually be signed.
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