Lib Dem councillor Ralph Scott: Why I was at anti-sell off demo
Finance chief defends appearance at mock auction
Published: 11 March 2010
by RICHARD OSLEY
THE Town Hall’s Liberal Democrat finance chief made a surprise appearance in a crowd of protesters campaigning against Camden’s policy of selling council homes.
In the last place you might have expected to see the councillor, Ralph Scott insisted he was “not the odd man out” at the protest in Kentish Town Road on Saturday afternoon.
He watched as a mock auction took place, with protesters imagining how Camden Council leaders would feel if their homes were going under the hammer.
Even though he has a key job in the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition behind the sale of more than 500 council homes at auction, Cllr Scott maintained he was entitled to join in the
protest.
“Nobody wants to be selling off council homes but we have been forced into that position by the government,” he said. “People are unhappy at the sales and what they see as developers making profits out of former council homes once they have bought them, but we are having to sell because the Labour government has not invested in our homes. We are having to sell to developers because of the rules set by the Labour government.
“So, while Frank Dobson was at the protest, he didn’t bring a cheque for the £283million owed to Camden by his government. Let me remind you, he is a former minister. So it wasn’t me who was the odd man out. That would be Frank.”
Cllr Scott said he had talked to protesters at the mock auction protest and explained the Town Hall position, including a promise to build a new home for every one sold off. The money raised from auctions is used to refurbish homes that survive the sell-off programme.
But as clear battle lines are drawn in the run-up to this year’s election – at which Labour and the Lib Dems both predict housing will be a major issue – Mr Dobson said last night (Wednesday) that Cllr Scott should have been at the protest to say sorry.
“Here was the chief vendor of council homes and I think everybody thought he had come to apologise – but he didn’t,” said the Holborn and St Pancras Labour MP.
“The fact is the government has invested £400million in council housing in Camden. The last thing the council should be doing, when there is a waiting list of 18,000 for council homes, is selling off council homes.”
Labour councillor Theo Blackwell said: “What the Lib Dems should not be doing at this critical moment is flogging off council homes. They should be looking at the council’s large commercial property and seeing if that could be used to meet the challenge of Decent Homes.”
Saturday’s protest was organised by the No Sell Offs campaign. Housing campaigner Eileen Short said: “It is a scandal that Camden Council is getting rid of secure, affordable public homes to rent just when we need them most. Unless policy is changed, 395 more homes will be sold at auction.”
Objectors want the council to freeze the sales and secure money for the housing department by lobbying London Mayor Boris Johnson and housing ministers.