People on waiting list are not just a statistic

NO one should underestimate the significance of the statement by Housing Minister John Healey that Camden is to be given £3.6million to build new homes on the Holly Lodge and Chester Balmore estates.
For the first time, Mr Healey has required the council to offer apprenticeship and local job recruitment schemes. The homes must also be built to high energy efficiency standards.
We now have the largest council building programme for over two decades with £500million committed nationally to build more than 4,000 new homes. This is a fitting tribute to the work of the late Alan Walter and the Defend Council Housing campaign. The announcement is part of a huge government investment in new affordable rented homes. Since he became Housing Minister Mr Healey has released through the Homes and Community Agency £2.4billion for new council and housing association homes.
The irony of the announcement is that the extra cash is unlikely to create one extra new home in Camden for the 18,000 people on its waiting list. While the Labour government is investing in new council housing, the Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition which have run the council since May 2006, continue their insane programme of flogging off existing homes for whatever cash they can generate.
The 18,000 people on Camden’s waiting list are not a mere statistic. They are families living in grossly overcrowded conditions. The government has investment record sums on health and education. But local councils also have their part in tackling overcrowding, a major cause of both ill health and educational underachievement. Camden needs a larger stock of social rented housing to enable every individual to achieve their full potential.
I have already made a public commitment that when Labour regains control of the council on May 6, we will halt the sale of council homes.
It is probable we will also have a general election on May 6.
I look forward to working with a Labour government that is committed to investing in both council homes and our future. We know that the Tories do not believe in council housing. We also know that they would put an immediate break on public expenditure, rather than steer our economy out of the current recession which is causing such misery in Camden.
CLLR NASIM ALI
Leader Camden Labour Group

Failures

• WHAT an extra­ordinary letter from Michael Nicholaides (January 21).
First, with an election around the corner, it was good of him to alert Highgate voters that there is, apparently, still a Highgate ward Labour Party. It is, indeed, good news the government is providing £3.6million towards housing regeneration in Highgate ward. He concluded by saying that he hopes “residents feel that Labour has proven it is the only party that can be trusted locally on council housing”. What an insult that is to local residents! He is well aware this government continues to deprive Camden of £283million for urgent council housing repairs.
But it is not just government failure on council housing is it? Labour has continued to champion free market capitalism and allowed the gap between the rich and the poor to widen. Billions of pounds of our money have been wasted in Iraq, along with countless lives. Billions of pounds have been spent on bailing out the banks but there wasn’t enough money to properly equip our troops for war or keep our local post offices open. Promised electoral reform didn’t happen, tuition fees did, services at our local hospitals are under threat and very little has been spent on preparing Britain for a low-carbon future. Einstein said a problem cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created it. Many Highgate voters understand this… and elected three Green councillors.
Cllr ADRIAN OLIVER
Green, Highgate ward