Frank Dobson: My vision of new homes... and jobs

Published: 17th February, 2011
by RICHARD OSLEY

FRANK Dobson has called on the government to create a wealth of job opportunities by starting a wave of social housebuilding.

The Labour MP suggested a strategy of killing two birds with one stone: generating new homes for those on the waiting list for affordable housing, while at the same time creating building jobs.

Mr Dobson said: “There’s virtually no council houseººbuilding going on. I’m very old fashioned but if we don’t have enough housing – and we don’t – then we ought to build some more. 

“We also need to renovate the ones we’ve got so they are actually warm and dry, and that would all have the great merit of creating jobs. 

“It wouldn’t be creating jobs in China, it would be creating jobs in every locality. It would be getting people back to work and it would be helping build up the economy.”

The Holborn and St Pancras MP was speaking at a protest rally of council tenants from across the country at the Methodist Hall at Westminster on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed a campaigning response to government proposals to create fixed-term tenancies on estates, to cut housing benefits and to increase council house rents.

Mr Dobson is a regular at council housing rallies around Westminster. Tenants from Gravesham queued up for his autograph beforehand. 

He was congratulated on disagreeing with the last Labour government’s attempts to privatise council housing stock across the country. The MP argued for direct investment in council housing to bring Camden’s stock up to national standards.

In his speech from the main stage, Mr Dobson accused the coalition government of “social cleansing”.

He said: “Rents are being driven up and there is now a threat to end the security of tenure for people in council housing and housing association housing. That is in plain breach of the promises made by David Cameron before the general election that they wouldn’t interfere with the rights of tenants of social housing. 

“They are doing what is known as social cleansing. If rents are going up and benefits are being cut, people are going to be driven out of the area I represent.”

Other speakers included Islington councillor James Murray and Jackie Peacock, from Brent Private Tenants Rights Group.

Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, said government claims that there was “no alternative” to cuts and charges should be opposed.

“We can give them some alternatives: cracking down on tax evasion and tax avoidance by the rich,” she said. 

“We can give them cutting down on bankers’ bonuses. To make the most vulnerable pay the highest price for a deficit they had nothing to do with is plainly wrong.” 

Existing tenants are not expected to lose their ‘security of tenure’ but new rules could apply to new tenants entering homes run by the council or housing associations.

Housing minister Grant Shapps said recently: “There are 1.8 million families languishing on that social housing waiting list, and it is right and proper that we look at the way in which we can reduce that list. 

“It may include looking at tenure for the future.”