Lambeth Housing In Meltdown - Massive Rent Rises On The Way
- Thread starter melmaloney
- Start date
John the Fish
New Member
You'll feel better after a day on the river and a couple of pints!
That's a bit sharp! Don't we give the poor woman a chance to put her case - I mean a trial, or anything?
You would have to be a real wally to volunteer for this board! What's the point anyway when the officers make all the decisions. Give them a rubber stamp, I say, and stop the farce.
That's a bit sharp! Don't we give the poor woman a chance to put her case - I mean a trial, or anything?
You would have to be a real wally to volunteer for this board! What's the point anyway when the officers make all the decisions. Give them a rubber stamp, I say, and stop the farce.
Well it is fraud which is a fairly major allegation and its fairly standard procedure in my experience to require people to stand down from public office whilst Police investigations are carried out.
I guess you put yourself forward to this role if you feel you have something to add and think you can improve the service - very much like any public role I guess. i presume you also get an allowance to compensate you for the time it takes
I guess you put yourself forward to this role if you feel you have something to add and think you can improve the service - very much like any public role I guess. i presume you also get an allowance to compensate you for the time it takes
melmaloney
New Member
I don't think that it is 'usual' at all.
To ask someone to stand down suggests that fellow board members have no confidence in the integrity of the person accused. Even if the council for political reasons wanted this person to stand down, one would have expected her fellow board members to have objected. From what I hear, they were not even consulted, and have raised no objection.
I agree with John the Fish. It sounds like a kangaroo court!
I would be very hesitant indeed about getting involved with Lambeth Living in any way. It is quite clear that its board members are puppets. One wonders how they would feel if they were accused. Shame on them!
melmaloney
New Member
And, by the way, I understand that ALMO board members are not paid anything other than put of pocket expenses, although, when the £250 million comes through, this may change.
Couple of things on this that are are new.
There's a report on the fraud issue in this week's Private Eye - not a huge amount new apart from saying that the relevant person has previously been in trouble in some way with Lambeth housing.
And the South London Press has details of teh service charges / rent increases this year. They're not online but they're huge. Rents up £12 a week and all of the service charges up a lot. Some combinations of service charge increases (e.g. heating plus concierge) might hit something like £30 a week.
There's a report on the fraud issue in this week's Private Eye - not a huge amount new apart from saying that the relevant person has previously been in trouble in some way with Lambeth housing.
And the South London Press has details of teh service charges / rent increases this year. They're not online but they're huge. Rents up £12 a week and all of the service charges up a lot. Some combinations of service charge increases (e.g. heating plus concierge) might hit something like £30 a week.
I would definitely be interested in voting for an Independent. How about independent candidates in all the wards in the 2010 local elections?
independents would be unlikely to win any council seats I fear (but am willing to be proved wrong!) because of the strength of the local party organisations that backup and promote their candidates.
If you are thinking of standing as an independent you have to start organising now - put yourself around the council ward, make yourself known locally so that there is something to build on when the election campaign gears up in advance of the May 2010 elections
If you are thinking of standing as an independent you have to start organising now - put yourself around the council ward, make yourself known locally so that there is something to build on when the election campaign gears up in advance of the May 2010 elections
Of course there are limitations on the number of independent votes but considering how disaffected so many people are there is lots of potential too.
A network of independents standing in consecutive wards in 2010 could be quite attractive, couldn't it? I myself would finally have somebody to actually vote for. Those candidates could obviously then collaborate together.
A lot of people here seem very clued-up on what the problems are at local level and how they could be solved.
Wouldn't it be good to have them in charge?
As well as getting known locally, how about organising a network of independents on social networking sites and bulletin boards like this?
Given the disillusionment out there, anything's possible
A network of independents standing in consecutive wards in 2010 could be quite attractive, couldn't it? I myself would finally have somebody to actually vote for. Those candidates could obviously then collaborate together.
A lot of people here seem very clued-up on what the problems are at local level and how they could be solved.
Wouldn't it be good to have them in charge?
As well as getting known locally, how about organising a network of independents on social networking sites and bulletin boards like this?
Given the disillusionment out there, anything's possible
melmaloney
New Member
An officer! - has just sent me a link to an interesting article in the on-line housing magazine for council employees - http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/hub.aspx?navCode=5
Shame that South London Press can't write articles like that. I suppose that they are frightened of losing all that lovely council advertising money - still, if there was more stuff like that in it, most tenants would not mind paying 50p a week for the Friday issue!
Shame that South London Press can't write articles like that. I suppose that they are frightened of losing all that lovely council advertising money - still, if there was more stuff like that in it, most tenants would not mind paying 50p a week for the Friday issue!
melmaloney
New Member
Article in Inside Housing Mag
I am sorry, the correct link for this article is - http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6502904
An officer! - has just sent me a link to an interesting article in the on-line housing magazine for council employees - http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/hub.aspx?navCode=5
Shame that South London Press can't write articles like that. I suppose that they are frightened of losing all that lovely council advertising money - still, if there was more stuff like that in it, most tenants would not mind paying 50p a week for the Friday issue!
I am sorry, the correct link for this article is - http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6502904
ricbake
working out how
An officer! - has just sent me a link to an interesting article in the on-line housing magazine for council employees - http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/hub.aspx?navCode=5
Shame that South London Press can't write articles like that. I suppose that they are frightened of losing all that lovely council advertising money - still, if there was more stuff like that in it, most tenants would not mind paying 50p a week for the Friday issue!
I saw this earlier this week and copied it to all the editorial staff at the South London Press and Kate Hoey - not one response!
To be fair the SLP usually does cover this sort of thing.
The outrage is Lambeth Life. We're paying a fortune for Lambeth to tell us every month how wonderful the council is.
There is nothing new in the inside housing piece that we haven't broken previously (in most cases months ago).
Greg, SLP
melmaloney
New Member
Thought . . .
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/hub.aspx?navCode=5
If those in charge of our housing can lose nearly £40,000,000 in one year without any additional major works, how long will the £250,000,000 (or whatever money we get) last?
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/hub.aspx?navCode=5
If those in charge of our housing can lose nearly £40,000,000 in one year without any additional major works, how long will the £250,000,000 (or whatever money we get) last? 
aurora green
Tectonic
I've just got home and opened my letter.
A massive rent increase of £16 per week!!!!!
I have been re reading the letter over and over because it is so much, I kept thinking I must have got it wrong....
Which of course, I haven't.
This is unbelievable and outrageous.
A massive rent increase of £16 per week!!!!!
I have been re reading the letter over and over because it is so much, I kept thinking I must have got it wrong....
Which of course, I haven't.
This is unbelievable and outrageous.
aurora green
Tectonic
Did I say I was shocked.....?
Bastards.
Bastards.
vauxhallmum
had to scrap the cheap car
Rent up £13.52 per week
Not happy
Not happy
bluestreak
HomosexualityIsStalin’sAtomBombtoDestroyAmerica
swamp them with complaints and take it all the way to the local housing ombudsman. seriously, if hundreds of people make formal complaints they have to answer them all, if you all take it to the ombudsman via the normal process the ombudsman may decide that it was unreasonable - especially if you point out that they didn't raise council tax so in effect the council tenants are subsidising the homeowners.
_angel_
.
That's just plain wrong!
Far be it for me to defend Lambeth but I think legally its not possible for them to do that - the housing revenue account has to be totally separate from any of the other council finances and cant be used for cross subsidy either for housing to council tax or council tac to housing.
The freezing of council tax is a fairly standard thing done by politicians of all parties if they can - its because the bills come in just a few weeks before the election and so they think that it will win them votes.
That argument wouldn't wash with anybody I'm afraid.
First of all, just because I don't live in council property does not make me a homeowner. Many of us do not even get a look in despite being on the register for over a decade!
Secondly, if council tenants are paying £1 rent £1 council tax and private tenants and homeowners are paying £2 rent and £2 council tax
asking the council tenants to pay £1.25 rent (An increase of 25%) to the council is not a subsidy to the person who still has to pay £4.
Besides as SE5 rightly says, the housing budget is very much separate from council tax revenue.
The council tenants are paying for an increase in rent to their landlords.
Just as I have had to pay to my landlords on occasion.
Those of us struggling with rent and mortgages should not have to stump up extra to an incompetent council to pay for homes they don't even live in and that are already subsidised!!
The officials have cocked up and the innocent will have to pay for it as usual.
ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
EPetittion against the rises here http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=103&RPID=5311087
bluestreak
HomosexualityIsStalin’sAtomBombtoDestroyAmerica
Mind, the argument probably won't wash but the Housing Ombudsman certainly has the power to force a rethink over rent rises. I was under the impression that there was a very complicated formulae that governed LA and HA rent rises that couldn't be overwritten.
