Social Housing/ private renters/ squatters/ homeless

[Dexter Deadwood]

This post was meant for another thread.

 

[CH1]

An FoI worth following to find out who has bought some of the Rushcroft homes and at what price.

Lambeth don't appear to be very keen on answering it.

In 100 years, it will be known as Lexton, not Brixton.

Lexadon have the properties on their website (not the price paid of course!)
So did Lambeth ever answer the FOI - and did they divulge the price or is that "commerically sensitive information"?

Lexadon are delighted to announce the acquisition of three new sites on Rushcroft road: Clarence House, Lancaster House and Matlock House.
These properties will be renovated into apartments with works commencing this year.
All apartments will feature high spec fittings and finishings ensuring original features of the property are showcased throughout.

 

[Gramsci]

As Lexadon , Brixton favourite representative of the Landlord class, has come up this thread on Milibands proposals to reform the private rented sector is worth reading.

This very good article is from that thread.

Labour’s proposed reforms will not fix the private rented sector for tenants, although they will substantially ameliorate things. However, as private tenant militants, it is necessary both to celebrate the victory that these proposals represent and how far they transform the political terrain around private renting. Private renters must continue to demand, as London Renters demanded of Labour, rent controls which would see rents fall in London, genuinely secure tenancies and that more council houses are built allowing tenants to exit an inherently exploitative relationship.

There have been predictable howls of outrage from business about Milibands mild proposed reforms.

 

[leanderman]

This, from Ballater rd, is good

 

[Tricky Skills]

The FoI has now been answered.

£7.5M.

Gosh.

"This exceeded our expectations..."

 

[leanderman]

The FoI has now been answered.

£7.5M.

Gosh.

"This exceeded our expectations..."

Good work. What are we to make of this?

Typical that they sell just before possibly the biggest price surge in London's history

 

[Tricky Skills]

Now that we know what the selling price was, this needs to be carefully monitored to make sure that the money remains in the social housing pot, and not spunked elsewhere in the Co-op Council budget.

 

[Rushy]

The summary of bids makes interesting reading. It was the only bid starting with a 7.

Prices have definitely moved northwards since then - but the sold price is surprisingly high for last year.

 

[Gramsci]

Protest – Rehouse Guinness’ Shorthold Tenants

Friday 4th July, 3:30pm

Outside the Housing Office on the Guiness Trust estate, off Loughborough Road, SW9 8NL

See more at: http://housingactivists.co.uk/newsl...trust-shorthold-tenants/#sthash.g5hoQunJ.dpuf

The Guinness Trust is redeveloping its Brixton estate. Residents of the existing estate will be rehoused in new (smaller) flats, but those with Assured Shorthold Tenancies will be thrown out of their existing homes with no guarantee of rehousing by the Guinness Trust

 

[Gramsci]

Monthly Meeting

Next monthly meeting of Lambeth Housing Activists is this coming Monday the 7th July at 7pm at the Effra Social club on Effra Road in Brixton. All welcome

 

[Gramsci]

Next Lambeth Private Renters meeting –Thurs 24th July at 7.30pm http://lambethrenters.wordpress.com/ venue to be announced very soon)

 

[AKA pseudonym]

Twitter storm TODAY from 1pm in support of #GuinnessTrust residents facing eviction…http://t.co/OAtJtQSQ1z … … … http://t.co/gXvSIcYDUd

 

[Gramsci]

Got this from Defend Council Housing:

Residents living on the Myatts Field North PFI 'regeneration' scheme , situated between Brixton and the Oval and now branded 'Oval Quarter ' by estate agents and developers , are planning to protest against intolerable living conditions on the demolition site on Friday , July 25th , meeting at Bramah Green Community Centre on the estate at 10am.

The protest is organised by the Myatts Field North Residents Association and Monitoring Board (RAMB) which represents council tenants and leaseholders living on the estate, and is supported by Defend Council Housing , Lambeth Housing Activists, Unite Community Fuel Poverty Action and Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth.

What is termed 'regeneration ' by Lambeth Council and the PFI developers has become an intolerable situation for many residents who fear for their health, mental well being and safety living on the demolition site.

Some leaseholders , having lived In the area for generations, have been forced out of the redevelopment because they can't afford the new homes, and tenants moving to new build housing face rent and council tax hikes which put even the new council homes beyond what they can afford.

Many tenants have left the area to be re- housed elsewhere - sometimes in inferior accommodation, away from family , friends or school connections.
Many of those who have opted to stay are increasingly angry with the poor standard of services they get from the PFI consortium.

The £150m PFI project was branded as a life changing opportunity for the residents.

By building higher density housing the developers have squeezed 980 homes onto a site which previously contained just 477 council homes, while providing a new community centre and claiming to retain the same amount of public space.

The additional homes on the site - 357 for private sale and 146 shared ownership - are selling at prices consistent with the bubble in London ( over £500m for a 3 bedroom home ) - a different world from the majority of people in the Vassall ward, which Is one of the most deprived wards in the borough of Lambeth.

One former leaseholder who had lived on the estate for 22 years and has now told by the council to go on the homelessness register and apply for temporary accommodation was told she needed an income of £63,000 p.a. to apply for a shared ownership home.

And while some council tenants are relieved to be living in new homes after years of living on a badly maintained estate, many have had to give up cherished gardens and homes that they loved.

Many residents feel that they are not treated well during the process of moving home. To a developer watching its profit margins and costs, residents still living on the site are just in the way. One leaseholder was evicted from her home while her children were in the house, and was only returned to her property after a protest by neighbours.

And many tenants who are remaining in their homes during the construction process - including elderly and vulnerable tenants with disabilities - are finding the noise , dust and contractor traffic intolerable, but say that the council never listens when they ask for help.

A recent report produced jointly by residents and Professor Hodkinson of the University of Leeds has highlighted serious health and safety breaches on the PFI site. Lambeth Council have yet to respond to these latest revelations, which used testimony from a 'whistle blower ' who worked for one of the PFI contractors.

Prior to this , residents working with Professor Stuart Hodkinson compiled a survey showing very poor standards of refurbishments in the retained council homes. As a result of this, Lambeth Council have now been prompted to do their own survey of the refurbishment.

Residents are now so fed up we are taking to the streets in an attempt to get our grievances heard.

Having been ignored by the developers and council for so long , we are welcoming other estates, community groups and trade unions to the protest. We want council housing built for the needs of the 27,000 on Lambeth's waiting list , not fake 'regenerations' which do little or nothing to address the borough's housing need, but reap rich rewards for the PFI corporations and banks.


Our Health , Our Lives , Our Homes protest 10am July 25th Bramah Green Community Centre , Myatts Field North SW9

Meeting for residents - other estate groups and the general public are welcomeJuly 23rd at 7pm Bramah Green Community Centre , Myatts Field North SW9 7RG

The Bramah Green Community Centre, SW9, is on Fairburn Green, about five minutes walk from the bus stops at the corner of Brixton Road and Vassall Road buses 3,159, 109 133
15 minutes walk from Oval, Stockwell and Brixton Tube stations

 

[ibilly99]

How developing country Venezuela handles squatter evictions...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ly-cleared-of-its-2500-squatters-9624189.html

 

[pros]

the protest on friday was a real inspiration, there were at least 50 of us, people who live on myatts field north and supporters, here's a report/some pictures from the day http://t.co/3lAt0q1yNg

ps tricky skills, are you going to take this further? (through ICO)? did the council sell the freehold to lexadon or...?

 

[CH1]

the protest on friday was a real inspiration, there were at least 50 of us, people who live on myatts field north and supporters, here's a report/some pictures from the day http://t.co/3lAt0q1yNgps tricky skills, are you going to take this further? (through ICO)? did the council sell the freehold to lexadon or...?

This was on BBC News tonight (not sure if it was a weekly review - I caught in in the Beehive with sound off and subtitles on - which is their wont).

Where does Lexadon come into this? The regeneration "company" is called REGENTER and is a PFI vehicle which has the potential to cost council tax payers an arm and a leg in future - notwithstanding failing to satisfy existing tenants and leaseholders NOW.

 

[pros]

CH1, my bad, should've replied to the tricky skills' original post about getting the foi reply (which is about lexadon), sorry for any confusion

 

[Gramsci]

Got this from Lambeth Unite Community:

Gustavo Garcia faces his 55th birthday next month with the threat of life on the streets, as Lambeth have given him notice they will be evicting him.

Gustavo became homeless in June when he had to stop work after a stroke. His stroke, caused him memory loss and physical weakness, and has also led to severe depression.. He spoke fluent English prior to his stroke, but the stroke means he has forgotten most the language. Before the stroke Gustavo was self-employed, butnow he can't work. Nor can he remember friends that he had before the stroke. “I feel so alone. I can’t sleep at all. I’m always worrying, afraid of being put on the street”. As his stroke was caused by stress, Gustavo’s greatest fear is that the mental stress he is now suffering will provoke another one. “I think of suicide often. I’m finished” he shrugs, with an unbearable look of sadness and despair.

The council now accepts that Gustavo is homeless, but say that he is not sufficiently vulnerable to deem him a priority .. They accept he suffers numbness in one side of his body, because he doesn’t need a walking aid, he would be okay on the streets.

Join us in protesting at Lambeth’s Homeless department in Olive Morris House, Brixton Hill at 9am on Wednesday 8th October in solidarity with Gustavo to let the council know it is unacceptable to treat vulnerable people in this way.

 

[Gramsci]

a number of activists from Lambeth were at the MIPIM protest on Wednesday. The protest itself succeeded in its aim to highlight the sell off of cities and communities and the people to blame. The press coverage we got was very good.

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...elling-homes-local-government-officials-mipim




Video has someone from Guinness Trust and Council tenant from Lambeth talking about need for affordable housing.

 

[Gramsci]

Housing Protest at Lambeth Council Meeting
- Social Housing NOT Social Cleansing
From 6pm Wednesday 19th November 2014
at Lambeth Town Hall (on corner of Brixton Hill and Acre Lane)
Housing activists from across Lambeth are demanding the right to speak at the next Full Council Meeting and are calling for supporters to come and protest with them -
Some of the deputation requests are from:
1. Cressingham Gardens residents are demanding the Council give them repairs not demolition;
2. Leigham Court residents want to stop the Council demolishing their award-winning sheltered housing;
3. Guinness Trust residents want the Council to support them against their Housing Association who is evicting them to build new flats (many of which will be sold or let at full market rate!);
4. Vauxhall residents want to oppose nine elms development that creates monstrous overpriced highrises with no social rented housing
5. Housing Co-op residents want to stop the Council evicting them (over £2million spent so far on legal fees to get them out!)

This protest is for everyone who is fed up with the way Lambeth Council's housing policies support the gentrification and 'social cleansing' of our borough.
For background info on these and other housing campaigns go to our website www.housingactivists.co.uk (also includes links to each individual campaign website and online petitions)

Please join and share the facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1559794217567380/

.............................................................................................................................................................

Leigham Court Guerilla Gardening Nov 22nd
Support sheltered housing residents fighting to keep their home

Leigham Court is an award winning council-run sheltered accommodation in Streatham. It used to have a brilliant garden that was much appreciated by its residents. Now Lambeth Council are neglecting the garden. This is part of a plan to run down the site while they prepare to demolish the building and sell the site to property developers.

Volunteers for Lambeth Housing Activists want to clean up the garden as an act of solidarity with all those residents in Leigham Court fighting to save their homes from demolition and who deserve to have their homes maintained properly.

Join us - Saturday 22nd November 10am – 1pm
269 Leigham Court Road, SW16 2SB

http://saveleighamcourt.wordpress.com;

 

[Gramsci]

The latest from the Guiness Trust AST facebook ( "short life") tenants:

TODAY 16th Nov we are officially homeless .Section 21 which was served to 45 units by Guinness South /Trust will end today. Guinness have refused to have AST meetings .We have been requesting for the Guinness Trust to meet us with Housing activists in order to give people information and advise but they have refused time and time again.On 4th July 2014 during the protest Guinness Trust chose to close their office than talk to people who are loosing their homes .
We feel angry with Guinness but very disappointed with LAB Lambeth and councilors who have been aware of the issue for many months but refused to meet us .
One of AST tenants have written to Lib Peck the head of Lambeth Council and requested for meeting in May 2014 and still waiting .
So what next well the sad thing is some of AST have already left and the rest will leave in coming weeks and months .There are 10 families who have no where to go and Lambeth are forcing them to go private .However one tenant will be staying until the end ,Fight back start looking forward to the bailiff.RESIST EVICTIONS

There is a online petition to support the Guiness Trust AST here

 

[CH1]

Just listened to a R4 programme about Right to Buy and how it depletes the social housing stock http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pc2zz
Points which stood out for me were
1. It is an irresistible temptation to take up right to buy when the subsidy get huge (as it can be in London right now - £100,000 is typical apparently)

2. There is evidence that commercial property developers are doing deals with tenants on benefit to secure council properties in exchange for splitting the government subsidised profit. Strangely neither councils not government feel any obligation to investigate or police this form of fraud.

3. The Borough of Enfield has set up a property company with the aim of providing private sector rental accommodation, owned by the council and let at social rents. Enfield's housing spokesman seemed to think this scheme may escape government interference, and will also be immune to right to buy as council ownership of the propertties is through an intermediate wholly owned private company.
http://www.housinggateway.co.uk/homepage/2/about

 

[Gramsci]

Some photos from today gardening by Lambeth Housing Activists up at Leigham Court sheltered housing. The residents were very happy to see us. They feel Lambeth is running down the estate and not maintaining it as an excuse to get rid of it.

More background info in this Guardian article.

 

[Gramsci]

Some photos of Leigham Court. It was a dull overcast day. I really liked the buildings.

 

[oryx]

Just listened to a R4 programme about Right to Buy and how it depletes the social housing stock http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pc2zz
Points which stood out for me were
1. It is an irresistible temptation to take up right to buy when the subsidy get huge (as it can be in London right now - £100,000 is typical apparently)

2. There is evidence that commercial property developers are doing deals with tenants on benefit to secure council properties in exchange for splitting the government subsidised profit. Strangely neither councils not government feel any obligation to investigate or police this form of fraud.

3. The Borough of Enfield has set up a property company with the aim of providing private sector rental accommodation, owned by the council and let at social rents. Enfield's housing spokesman seemed to think this scheme may escape government interference, and will also be immune to right to buy as council ownership of the propertties is through an intermediate wholly owned private company.
http://www.housinggateway.co.uk/homepage/2/about

Like ridiculous private sector rents and insecurity of tenure, the aftermath of RTB is something that has escaped regulation where it is badly needed.

One of the best ones (or should I say worst) was Charles Gow, son of a former Tory housing minister, owning a huge (for one landlord) number of ex-Council homes in Wandsworth.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...54bf&plcktb=M1EdWWkCZUN6eGtZbWB2WlFlag4A0

This sort of thing deserves wider publicity. It's not people on benefits or, God forbid, people with 'spare rooms' supposedly subsidised by the 'taxpayer' who are shamefully milking the system. It's people like this.

 

[CH1]

Some photos of Leigham Court. It was a dull overcast day. I really liked the buildings.

What are the pipes in pics 1 & 3? Is it some sort of centralised heating system? Presumably in pic no2 it is just a handrail. Good photos showing the ambience - and how well it has been kept up.

 

[CH1]

Like ridiculous private sector rents and insecurity of tenure, the aftermath of RTB is something that has escaped regulation where it is badly needed.

One of the best ones (or should I say worst) was Charles Gow, so of a former Tory housing minister, owning a huge (for one landlord) number of ex-Council homes in Wandsworth.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...54bf&plcktb=M1EdWWkCZUN6eGtZbWB2WlFlag4A0

This sort of thing deserves wider publicity. It's not people on benefits or, God forbid, people with 'spare rooms' supposedly subsidised by the 'taxpayer' who are shamefully milking the system. It's people like this.

I was not aware of Master Gow's rampant greed. Maybe we could start with a mansion tax which applied to the aggregate value of all properties owned - including by companies, and including by companies in Jersey, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Cayman Islands etc etc.

 

[oryx]

I was not aware of Master Gow's rampant greed. Maybe we could start with a mansion tax which applied to the aggregate value of all properties owned - including by companies, and including by companies in Jersey, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Cayman Islands etc etc.

Completely agree. As an ex-resident of Wandsworth, it does my head in that properties once owned by the council to house people in need/unable to afford to buy are now the subject of rampant greed.

 

[Gramsci]

What are the pipes in pics 1 & 3? Is it some sort of centralised heating system? Presumably in pic no2 it is just a handrail. Good photos showing the ambience - and how well it has been kept up.

I am not sure what the pipes are for.

pic two is handrail (original).

The residents we talked to all liked the design. I can see why. Its clever. Each flat has privacy but is also part of a larger community. So people are not living on top of each other. Had a very relaxed feel about it.

Just goes to show that modernist architecture can work on a human level.

Lambeth should be learning from a successful development like this rather than just seeing the site as a piece of real estate.

 

[Gramsci]

Just listened to a R4 programme about Right to Buy and how it depletes the social housing stock http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pc2zz
Points which stood out for me were
1. It is an irresistible temptation to take up right to buy when the subsidy get huge (as it can be in London right now - £100,000 is typical apparently)

2. There is evidence that commercial property developers are doing deals with tenants on benefit to secure council properties in exchange for splitting the government subsidised profit. Strangely neither councils not government feel any obligation to investigate or police this form of fraud.

3. The Borough of Enfield has set up a property company with the aim of providing private sector rental accommodation, owned by the council and let at social rents. Enfield's housing spokesman seemed to think this scheme may escape government interference, and will also be immune to right to buy as council ownership of the propertties is through an intermediate wholly owned private company.
http://www.housinggateway.co.uk/homepage/2/about

Good summary

I caught some of the programme earlier in the week.

I do not think the Enfield property company will be letting at social rents. It looks like they will rent at less than private landlords. But the tenants will not be "Council tenants". They will be private tenants but with possibly greater security of tenure than with the buy to let brigade. Does mean that the rents can be set at level of the local housing allowance so those on benefits will not get pushed out of the area. The Council will be able to undercut private landlords as councils can borrow more cheaply to buy up property.

It starts to turn the Council into a private landlord rather than a manager of social housing. Not sure I think this is good idea in the long run. Whilst Enfield say they will be exemplary landlord from the article below they are treating the accommodation as temporary:

Tenants get quality housing, and the council also helps them find work and more permanent housing.

So its Enfield trying to find a cheaper way to house people rather than expensive B&B. Not really about long term housing. Does not really solve the housing problem. Only one aspect of it.

Also I do not understand the exact relationship of a COC to the Council. The Council takes the risk and borrows the money. But in the end will not own the property directly. Nor do I understand this:
COCs will:

create a revenue stream which can contribute to its General Fund. As an extra source of income, COCos can help offset the effects of reduced budgets, especially with further cuts expected in 2015.

More detail on "COCs" as they are called (Council Owned Companies) here.