Housing, Housing, Housing

Ground breaking news……Gordon Brown is finally seeing what we have been saying for years see article http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/article/?id=1449102
This article marks a significant shift in the Labour Party despite the fact that the 4th option has been repeatedly passed at Labour Party Conference over the last few years. We have heard that all the contenders for the deputy leader of Labour Party elections support the 4th option. BUT it important we move from support to action.

In London more than anywhere else the need for Council housing can not be greater. The Housing Association experiment has simply not worked. Decent Housing is the cornerstone of any democratic country’s policy. Decent Housing fosters healthy communities, this isn’t rocket science. Running down Council housing by denying money to refurbish or simply add to the stock has been a disaster for our inner city communities. Blackmailing Councils by denying them funds unless they sell them off has to be the most destructive polices in the last 50 years!

BUT we still have a chance to turn our inner cities into to healthy communities and we must take it now before it is too late. Councils must be allowed to build Council Housing. Property prices continue to spiral out of reach for many in our communities. Low income families, young people, key workers must have access to Decent Housing.

Finally let’s finally dump the term ‘affordable housing’. Affordable to who? This piece of Government spin has had it’s day, let’s support our communities and see a new era of decent Council housing stock. It is after all what our communities deserve.

What can you do?
Sign the e-petition at Downing Street http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/fourth-option/and encourage others to sign too to: "provide the 'Fourth Option' of direct investment in council housing… bring all homes up to at least the government's Decent Homes Standard by 2010 and also build a new generation of decent, affordable and secure council homes for rent".