Amicus’ General Secretary first to sign up to campaign for
better council house funding
16 June 2006
Amicus’ General Secretary, Derek Simpson,
has signed an open letter to Tony Blair asking for better funding
arrangements for council housing.
The letter argues that a 'Fourth Option' for council house
investments would provide a better long term future for council
housing than current funding arrangements.
The union that represents more than
20,000 local authority workers wants local authorities to be
allowed to raise money for investment for new build and maintenance
in the same way that Registered Social Landlords, Arms Length
Management Organisation’s and private companies are able
to.
Trade unions have joined forces with council house tenants,
councillors and MPs to campaign for a ‘fourth option’ for direct
investment for council house funding as an alternative to
privatisation. The independent Audit Commission has also raised
concern about current council house funding arrangements, calling
for the government to ‘review the housing subsidy system’ as has
the Council House Group of MPs.
Opposition groups also say they are concerned about the lack
of fair play in tenant ballots conducted for stock transfer with
the odds stacked against local authorities.
Derek Simpson, General Secretary of Amicus, said: "Council
homes have been starved of investment in an attempt to blackmail
and bully tenants to vote to transfer stock in what is essentially
a mass privatisation of council homes.
"All have failed to deliver on promises of improvements and
rents yet local authorities with good track records of maintaining
and managing council properties are being denied the opportunity to
compete.
"We believe that the homes and futures of some of the most
vulnerable people in our society are being placed at the mercy of
market forces and tenants are being coerced into giving up secure
tenancies on false assurances of improvements and rent restraints.
The vast amounts of money that has been poured into transferring
council stock and setting up ALMOs would be better spent if it were
directed into improving homes and communities."
- Ends –
For further information please call Catherine Bithell in the
Amicus press office on 020 7 420 89090 or 07958 473 224
