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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Minister dashes hopes of fourth option to fund improvement of Council Housing
January 28, 2007 12:00 AM
Peter Black and Helen Ceri Clarke on a Council Estate in Birchgrove
Any hope of a fourth option to fund the improvement of Council housing in Swansea has been dashed by the responsible Assembly Minister.
In a letter to local Assembly Member, Peter Black, the Social Justice Minister and Gower AM, Edwina Hart, has ruled out the prospect of additional Government finance so as to enable the Council to carry out improvements itself. In her response Mrs. Hart explains that approaches to both the UK Minister of Communities and Local Government and the Treasury Minister, Stephen Timms, have had negative replies. She concludes:
"I wish to make it clear that there is no additional funding available from the Welsh Assembly Government for housing: HM Treasury will not relax its public sector borrowing rules and there will not be a fourth option.
Local Authorities owe it to their tenants to work with what is available now to achieve the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. It is not acceptable to delay the decision any longer based on rumours and false hopes."
Commenting on the letter, Peter Black, said that this was a very significant intervention by the Minister. "Edwina Hart has made it absolutely clear that if Swansea is to improve the homes of its tenants, then the only way of raising the money is through stock transfer," he said. "As it stands the Council can only raise £170 million from its own resources and faces a significant shortfall of £195 million. Both the UK and the Labour Assembly Government have made it clear that they will not put in any extra cash to meet that shortfall."
"The harsh truth is that despite exploring all other options the only way that Swansea Council can bring its Council housing stock up to the required standard is by transferring them to a not-for-profit public sector housing association. If tenants do not vote for transfer then that cannot happen. The Labour Assembly and Westminster Governments have left the Council with only one way by which it can achieve the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. Tenants have guarantees about rents and their rights. They should ensure that they do not miss out."
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