Thursday, January 30, 2014

Homes for London




Check out this Youtube clip of London Assembly member and Labour Housing lead, Tom Copley, putting forward the alternative to do nothing, market knows best, Tory Mayor, Boris Johnson. Tom will be the guest speaker at my branch AGM (Greater London UNISON Housing Association).

"Dear Friend,

Yesterday I presented a range of proposals to the Mayor aimed at addressing London's housing crisis as part of City Hall Labour's alternative budget.

The plans are drawn from a report that I published this week, Fair Housing, which followed a survey of nearly 2,500 Londoners. The survey reveals that 43% of Londoners spend between 25-50% of their take home pay on housing, and that 23% spend over 50% of their take home pay on housing.

Our proposals include:
  • Establishing a London Housing Corporation, which would borrow against the GLA’s revenue stream to rapidly expand housing supply by directly commissioning new homes, and encourage institutional investment from pension funds
  • Driving forward housing supply by reorganising the work of the GLA Land and Housing Directorate into a new body called Homes for London
  • Creating a ‘Decent Homes Fund’ that provides low-cost loans for landlords to bring London’s stock of privately rented accommodation up to a decent standard.
  • Establishing a ‘London Bad Landlords Register’ and a private tenants ‘Know Your Rights’ website
  • Lobbying the government to increase investment in affordable housing.
Several of these measures were formally passed by the Assembly as part of a cross-party budget amendment. The Mayor will have to come back to us in February responding to each of our proposals and explaining why he either agrees or disagrees with them. If he rejects the proposals the Assembly will require a two thirds majority vote to force them through.
Over the coming months I shall be working up detailed proposals for exactly how Homes for London and the London Housing Corporation would work and the volume of housing that could be delivered across all tenures. What is absolutely clear is that unless the Mayor adopts a far more interventionist approach, we are not going to solve London's housing crisis any time soon.
The Mayor has the power to act. The question is whether he is willing to do so.
Best wishes,

Tom Copley AM
Labour London Assembly Member (Londonwide)
City Hall Labour Housing Spokesperson

PS – you can keep up to date with the work I’m doing on the Assembly and around London by following me on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.  You can also visit my website at www.tomcopley.com."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is n't Tom Copley the London assembly member who said Buckingham Palace should be turned into council housing?

Tom Copley is a republican.

I question, why we should be building more council housing in expensive areas like Camden and Islington?.

I can't afford to live there, so why are we building more houses there?

The Olympic park is going to be full of council housing, which cost more to build when my own house. It is not fair.

If Tom Copley is a republican and believes the Queen should not have her birthright; then I also argue, no one should have a birth right to live in expensive areas like Camden and Kensington.

If I had to rely on the state, I would never be housed Camden. So why do some people have special privileges?

Anyone can turn up from the EU (and elsewhere) and get housing in Camden. How is that fair to the rest of us?

Why does n't Tom Copley want to treat everyone equally?

I pay my tax. I hate living in Newham, but I have no right to live in Camden. As I can't afford it.

I would love to live in Camden or Kensington. I would never get that chance. May be Camden should be housing some of its poor in my house and I get to move into a house in Camden. At least I pay taxes.

To live in Camden you either need to be rich or very poor. There is no place for people in the middle.

Anonymous said...

Explain, Labour's housing logic to me. You have huge immigration.

People turn up to the UK, they find a low paid job and then rely on benefits to top up. Or just turn up to rely entirely on benefits. With an open door policy, you are an artificial creating housing demand in the UK.

UKIP do have a point. Although their policies would crash the country.

Labour did nothing about benefit claimants who were receiving £100,000 to live in the West End.

I don't get any state handouts. I pay taxes. Most of the houses in the Olympic Park will be more expensive then my home. Looks like been lazy and on the dole pays dividends....

I want to get out of Newham, but I can't afford it. Newham will never be a nice place to live, so long as Labour have control. Newham have spent £100m on Building 1000 and then another £30million East Ham campus. How much money went to West Ham for the Olympic stadium.... None of the money is spent on improvements in Newham..... I doubt Newham can get turned around.

John Gray said...

I think that you will find that Tom actually made a joke at a conference about agreeing with Mo Mowlam about turning the Palace into Council flats. Shame that some people don't have a sense of humour but there you go.

If you want to rejoice at this government driving all low income people out of London then do so.

Do you really want London to be like Paris whose centre is surrounded by a ring of slums for the poor?

I haven't a clue why you think that the Olympic Park is going to be full of Council housing? (if only)

Successful communities are mixed communities.

You are also talking nonsense if you really think that anyone can turn up from the EU and get housing.

Get a life please and stop relaying on the tabloids for your views.

John Gray said...

Hi anon 00.22

The vast majority of immigrants don't relay on housing benefit. They are here to work hard and earn money.

Labour did restrict access to benefits when in power. Arguably they should have done more but driving practically all low income families out of London is no answer.

I think you will find that the vast majority of Newham residents, white and black, old and new, in work and out support the Labour Party and think on the whole the Council does a good job.

You obviously don't which is your democratic right. But don't for a moment think that many people agree with you.

Because they don't. Ignorant rants don't help your case either I'm afraid.

John Gray said...

Hi anon

I suppose you just might have a personality disorder but I strongly suspect you are just an ignorant thick bigot.

I thought that Newham had got rid of its Nazi's and fascists but it appears I was wrong.

I've told you before that I would be more than willing to help you move out of Newham. I'll drive the van out with pleasure.

Get a life.

Anonymous said...

"I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left." - Margaret Thatcher.

I suspect the reason you are annoyed, is you were unaware Newham Council was going to build 20,000 council homes (refer to your previously reply). You are kept in the dark. You can't even tell me where these new council homes will be built.

John Gray said...

Only an ignorant foul mouthed yob would be surprised that anyone is "annoyed" when their borough is being called "Sh*t".

There have been a number of reports about the 20k Council homes. They are planned to be built all over Newham.

If you read the reports more closely you will realise how ignorant you are.

John Gray said...

NB - the ignorant potty mouth yob has been at it again I'm afraid.

I'm fed up with these anon Nazi and fascist trolls so have deleted as spam.

Please Mr anon why don't you just "troll off" and play elsewhere

& check your facts about the 20k Council houses)

:)