Workers' Liberty

Well over a hundred people attended the "Save Our Services in Lambeth" meeting hosted by Lambeth local government Unison on 11 June, and agreed to launch a Public Services Not Private Profit campaign

After two days of strike action, bosses at Shelter, an organisation providing services to the homeless, have agreed to put "on hold" their plans to cut workers' pay and conditions.

Lambeth council wants to increase council tenants’ rents by 6.5%. This is far higher than the increases in other boroughs and equates to around £250 a year extra for the average property.

Lambeth want to increase council tenants’ rents by 6.5%...

This is far higher than the increases in other borough and equates to about £250 a year extra for the average property.

On Thursday the 21st of February, we will find out if some 450 members of the TGWU/Unite have voted in favour of national strike action, an event which would be a first in Shelter's 41-year history.

Hackney Council is carrying out an appraisal for estate cleaning and ground maintenance services, and are considering three options:

1. Full outsourcing of contractors for both services across Hackney Homes.
   
   

Here's an interesting source of information. Apparently, the Olympic Games and other 'mega-events' have displaced some 2 million people from their hom

By Robin Sivapalan

MARGARET Hodge, Labour Minister for Industry and MP for Barking, has sparked another row over immigration and housing.

Last April, in the run-up to the local elections, she provided a rallying call to the BNP by claiming that eight out 10 people she spoke to on the doorstep were considering voting for the far right.

By Stuart Jordan

As you take the escalator out of Euston underground in London, the new hi-tech video advertisements display a load of badly-clothed children pressing on the screens, trying to get out.

By Heenal Rajani, Lambeth Unison housing convenor and Lambeth Defend Council Housing

Hackney Council has apparently rebranded its estate regeneration policy. It is now called 'Estate Plus'. Plus what, though?

... plus privatisation ... plus overcrowding ... plus community fragmentation ...

Over 70 Hackney residents packed into a public meeting on Monday evening to protest against Hackney Council's plan to fragment, privatise and over-populate their estates.

I gave the opening speech, largely an updated version on this blog entry from a while back. There was then plenty of discussion, despite some rather heavy-handed chairing.

Hackney Council's Cabinet has agreed to the deputy mayor's proposals for 'estate regeneration' - selling spaces on estates to be built on. The policy that was agreed by the Labour Group was bad enough, but the version that went to Cabinet looks even worse.

Having saved ourselves from the wrecking ball last year, our estate - and all other estates in Hackney - now face another fight to defend the places we live. Hackney Labour has a plan for Council estates: to sell pieces of their land to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to build new 'affordable' homes on.

Hackney Labour’s election manifesto said that the Council would build 2000 new affordable homes. As the government refuses to pay for this without privatisation, the Council would need to defy the government and provide public housing. But don’t expect that from Hackney Council. They have secret plans of their own.

60-year-old Elizabeth Pascoe has won her court battle to stop English Partnership taking a wrecking ball to her home under the Government's 'Pathfinder' housing scheme. She managed to persuade a judge that demolishing the place you live in is an infringement of your human rights. Well yes, you'd think so, wouldn't you?

This summer, the Mayor of London gets new power over housing and planning in the capital. He says he will use these powers "mainly to ensure more affordable homes are built for Londoners."

by Tony Osborne, Aspland & Marcon estates

The ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation), set up by Hackney Council to manage its housing stock, and now called Hackney Homes, ‘went live’ in April. It is supposed to deliver central government’s Decent Homes programme, and bring all Hackney Council’s housing up to a standard that is fit to live in by 2010.

by Tony Osborne, Aspland & Marcon estates

Hanover in Hackney recently announced a pilot scheme at one of its sheltered housing complexes to replace its resident housing officer. Hanover is the housing association to which Hackney Council has contracted the running and staffing of 30 of its sheltered housing homes for the elderly. Its plan calls for the resident post to be closed, and replaced with daily visits and an alarm system.

by Kevin O’Hanrahan, Boxley House

In March 2000, Hackney Council handed ownership of Pembury estate to the Peabody Charitable Trust.

The transfer process was hardly an exercise in democracy. Residents were offered two options: a Yes vote for transfer, with the release of funding for estate improvements, or a No vote with no improvements. No third option of self-management, or fourth option of direct investment in council housing in line with Labour Party conference policy, was on offer.

Housing campaigners up and down the country are signing a letter to Tony Blair demanding that the government allows councils to improve their housing without having to privatise it.

The letter has been produced by the Defend Council Housing campaign, and you can get a copy from Hackney Socialist Unity.

Copied below is the BNP's absurd claim to have "won" new housing for the residents of Barking.

The BNP is not claiming credit for actually doing anything - like proposing the housing plan or anything like that - simply for getting elected and "therefore" forcing the government's hand.

Called by Defend Council Housing and sponsored by UCATT, TGWU, Amicus, Unison, GMB

ALMO is no solution

Hackney Council is pressing ahead with its Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), despite very little support in the community.

When Hackney Solidarity asked residents of Mountford estate, we found that most people had not heard of the ALMO, and those who had knew little of the detail.

Hackney Solidarity knocked on doors on the Pembury. We asked people’s views about life on the estate.
Many complained about the building work. It has been noisy, disruptive, and continually delayed.

The latest issue of Hackney Solidarity is now available, and is being distributed in communities and workplaces across central Hackney.

The main articles are on housing, including reports from local estates. Other subjects include class sizes at the local primary school, news from local trade unions, a view from a Hackney teenager, and opinions on the recent General Election.

Click 'read more' to read the text, or email Janine Booth for printed copies.