This is a Letter in response to Friday 25 July 2014 front page story of Labour Lewisham seeking to sell of Council homes.
Huge thank you to the South London Press for your front page
story on Labour Lewisham’s plans to sell of 20% of the New council homes it
proposes to build, after direct actions, occupations and the huge number of
local residents voting and supporting People Before Profits campaigns.
Lewisham council had hoped to keep this quiet and had not
expected People Before Profit and Defend Council Housing to carry out due
diligence and read the small print in the papers being presented for approval
at the Housing committee meeting.
People Before Profit also discovered in the council accounts
that it has over £10 Million in reserve earning almost no income, when this
could be used to build Council homes without the need to borrow or do yet
another PFI deal, as well as help turn empty buildings into Co-operative
housing. Self Builds etc.
It Costs on average £44.500 to keep 1 family a year in Bed
and Breakfast and even more in a Hostel, whilst cost of renting 3 bed in the
private sector is £1300 average for borough.
Why did the Council not include this huge saving and
income it would save by moving 500 families out of expensive emergency
housing in to Property it would own with no mortgage and from day one
producing a huge cash flow to the council Coffers.
Clearly Labour Lewisham seems to run the boroughs finances
on the back of an envelope.
Sadly Local Residents May not have elected a People Before
Profit Council in May, but we will continue to Stand up to Labours failings and
seek as always to make these people fully accountable..After all this Council
is elected to serve the residents interests and it needs to remember this not
just every 4 years at election time
Ray Woolford
Press Officer
Lewisham People Before Profit
www.peoplebeforeprofit.org.uk
follow Ray on twitter@Raywoolford
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