27 September 2005
Amicus is supporting a CLP motion being brought at the Labour Party conference for renewed investment in council housing.
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 are joining with council house tenants, councillors and MPs for the 'fourth option' for direct investment for council house funding as an alternative to privatisation. The independent Audit Commission has also raised concern, calling for the government to 'review the housing subsidy system' as has the Council House Group of MPs.
Opposition groups say they are concerned about the lack of fair play in tenant ballots for 'opt out.'
John Allott, Amicus' National Secretary for local authorities, said: "This motion comes from Labour's heartland and the message is loud clear, the Government's housing policy is the privatisation of council housing by stealth and people don't want it.
"Tenants are being coerced into giving up their secure tenancies on false assurances of improvements, on which the RSLs and ALMOs have failed to deliver. Local authorities have a good track record of maintaining and managing council homes and should be allowed the same access to borrowing and finance as the private sector does. Council housing is being placed at the mercy of market forces and the government is gambling with the homes of some of the most vulnerable people in the country.
"The money that has been poured into transferring council stock and setting up ALMOs would be better spent if it were directed into improving the homes and the communities of the people who live in them."
Council house tenants in the Prime Miinister's own Sedgefield constituency recently voted to stay in local authority ownership as have tenants in Sefton, Southampton and Plymouth.
