Housing friends we don’t need

Published: 27th May, 2011

• PHIL Cosgrove refers to Labour’s and the Lib Dems’ use of “independent tenants’ friends” to help push through privatisation of council homes (Beware of tenants’ ‘friends’ with a privatisation agenda, May 13). In fact, both parties worked together on this.  

On King Square estate, where I used to live, we had five years of them trying to hand our homes over to a housing association. They only gave up their plans after FACTS (Fight Against Council Tenancy Sell-offs), went door to door with a petition in opposition, which was signed by a massive 70 per cent of the estate’s households. 

Both parties supported setting up Homes for Islington (HfI). As I recall, the Lib Dems in control of the council at that time wanted to push it through without a ballot. After a long battle with the Federation of Islington Tenants, they eventually agreed to a ballot. 

Within a week of doing so and without time for proper debate on the pros and cons, they sent out ballot papers with a leaflet enclosed, saying “vote yes” some 25 times. Such friends of the democratic process.

We should not engage with Councillor James Murray’s sham consultation but instead go door-to-door on our estates with petitions to make sure he and his party know that the vast majority of us want our homes to be managed and maintained by the council, with it being directly accountable to tenants and residents.  

No more of our rent money should be thrown away on “independent tenants’ friends” or on a double layer of high-ranking officials and unaccountable HfI board members. 
Rita Smith 
Finsbury estate, EC1

• BEFORE the council elections in May last year, Islington Labour Party stated quite clearly in its pre-election material that there was an intention to bring council housing back into direct council control. 

Now in power, Labour’s executive member for housing, Councillor James Murray, has made it clear that tenants and leaseholders are not to be given a simple ballot on HfI’s future. 

Instead, we are being asked to endure countless surveys, conventions and meetings to discuss the future of council housing. 

Given that HfI was only set up to oversee and administer the Decent Homes programme, a process which is virtually at an end, I hope that the council’s exercise is not just a way to foist HfI (in the form of a housing association) on us via the back door. 
John B McMahon 
Rawstorne Street, EC1

• I HAVE to disagree with the letter asking for a ballot on the future of HfI (Who should control our homes? Let’s have a vote, May 20). 

I remember the Lib Dems’ ballot in 2003 – it certainly wasn’t about giving tenants a real say. The Lib Dems only gave tenants one day’s notice. They excluded 1,600 tenants in Tollington from the ballot and fewer than one in four people voted. 

It was rushed, biased and unfair. If there’s going to be consultation about HfI then it should be a real consultation. I hope Labour doesn’t repeat the Lib Dems’ sham ballot.
H Leigh
Biggerstaff Street, N4