Record in office is shameful

Cllr Barrott, Warwick District Council Labour Group leader, recently stated in your letters page, that Labour had an ‘absolute commitment to improving housing in the district particularly for social and affordable homes’.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Dec 2014, 06:17 BST

Wonderful news for all those waiting for a habitable home. However let’s look at Labour’s local record - during the 13 years when we had a Labour Government with a massive majority, a local Labour MP and a Labour/LibDem run local council, 1,054 council homes were sold off under the Right To Buy rules. Not one single council home was built in Warwick district during the whole 13-year term of Labour Government from 1997 - 2010.

Local Housing Associations were forced to sell off some of their stock because they had insufficient funds to maintain it. The best example is the block on the corner of Willes Road and Newbold Terrace which was home to 40 social housing tenants until Orbit sold it. It’s now luxury apartments.

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According to Warwick District Council’s figures the net increase in social housing to let during Labour’s 13 years was 40 units. That’s three a year.

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Labour’s record in office, when it had the power and time to transform social housing for the better, is a shameful one. If they couldn’t do it then why should anyone believe they can do it at all ?

R Grenville, via email

Related topics:LabourGovernment