Hemel Hempstead Labour Party

HOMES SELL- OFF SHAMBLES

The ballot to decide if Dacorum Borough Council’s housing stock gets transferred to a housing trust has been postponed yet again. Tenants had originally been due to vote on the move in November.  However, the decision was postponed until January and has now been put on hold until at least March.

The disarray stems from an report by independent experts valuing the council’s existing homes at £70 million instead of £120 million meaning the council will be unable to reap the financial windfall it was expecting. Added to that, tenants have already rejected the latest draft proposals which included sweeteners intended to make the sell-off an attractive proposition. 

Tenants have dismissed attempts to sugar the pill, as there were insufficient guarantees on planned improvements to homes, too little cash was promised to build new homes to rent and tenants feared huge rent increases.

Adeyfield West Councillor Keith White, Leader of the Labour Group condemned the Conservative run council for their “totally cack-handed and inept” management  of the issue.  He said; “Transferring the housing to an uncertain future is not necessary, it is not right and tenants would get a better deal if the Conservatives did a better of job of managing the existing homes properly.”

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Hemel Hempstead Ayfer Orhan also laid into the Tories saying; “People are telling me they are frightened that this isn’t going to work for them personally.  They feel more comfortable with their homes being managed by housing professionals as now.  They don’t feel confident they’d get improved repairs or a better service generally from some faceless new organisation.”