You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Lammy: Haringey Council ‘out of touch’
Haringey Council “has appeared out of touch and high-handed” as it has pushed through its £2bn development vehicle, Tottenham MP David Lammy has written in a letter to council leader Claire Kober.
Mr Lammy criticised the council’s following of process on the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV) as well as expressing scepticism about the value of the project itself.
He wrote: “Residents have not been consulted properly, community concerns have not been allayed sufficiently, financial and reputational risks have not been mitigated, the council’s own overview and scrutiny committee has been ignored and it is clear that the HDV has been forced through in the face of serious opposition within the community and within the council itself.”
Citing his mandate from 82% of Tottenham voters, he told Ms Kober: “I am not persuaded that entering into this agreement with Lendlease will deliver the social homes and genuinely affordable homes that the people of Tottenham so desperately need.”
READ MORE
He urged her “to further reflect on whether the chosen vehicle is the best option for the borough and its residents”.
This was Mr Lammy’s sixth letter to Haringey Council about the HDV, after he and Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, wrote a joint letter two weeks ago calling for the council to delay its decision.
Ms Kober said in a statement: “We have heard David’s concerns very clearly and of course we’re happy to continue talking to him about our plans. We believe the HDV is the right way to deliver the thousands of jobs and homes Haringey needs and have set out the arguments for this in public many times.
“We couldn’t be clearer that all tenants will have a guaranteed right of return and that 40% of all housing built will be affordable, based on income not rent levels. These affordable homes will be a mixture of social rent, target rent and shared ownership to reflect the housing needs of everyone in the borough regardless of their financial situation. This 40% target is set out in our housing strategy and planning policy which the HDV will be bound by.”
In a meeting last week the Tottenham Labour General Committee, a body with no formal authority, voted overwhelmingly against the HDV, with 47 votes against, none in favour and eight abstentions.
