Leafleting the annual DayMer festival to oppose housing demolitions and social cleansing plans in Haringey, North London, 2015
Haringey Defend Council Housing – Monthly Update
Estate renewal plans: Our rights are at risk
The Council has a new Draft Estate renewal re-housing and payments policy.
This states that the Council will aim to offer secure tenants the option of returning to a new permanent home on their estate 'where possible’. But there are no guarantees. Secure tenants would only be guaranteed another permanent tenancy if they remain council tenants – and we think this would most likely mean moving to a home on another, non-regenerated council estate.
We think that new homes on the renewal estates would most likely be owned by a private registered provider (housing association), in which case new tenancies might be permanent, or fixed-term, depending on the providers’ own policy.
There is no mention of the rents and service charges that would be charged for the new homes, and this is a major issue (see below). There is also no mention of the new Joint Venture company that the council is setting up to run some of the renewal estates, and the type of tenancies that it might offer: these might ‘not be secure tenancies, but rather private rented properties let at secure or affordable rents’ – whatever that may mean.
The Council’s present policy puts our housing rights at risk. Housing Associations are pushing for market-rents and time-limited tenancies, and the developer interests behind these demolition plans are pushing in the same direction.
The draft policy is out for consultation, ending on 17th January, and we will be responding formally.
We need a written guarantee or Charter, with a right to return to new homes on the renewal estates, with new council tenancies, on the same terms as at present, and with no rent or service charge increases.
---
For more background on Haringey's proposals to knock down and rebuild council estates at "higher densities", check out 'Recommendations for living at Superdensity' on YouTube. This short film is based on a high-level report by four leading London architectural practices:
Here are some of the problems the film raises for tenants whose homes are to be demolished:
1. ‘High service charges are a significant part of the management plan, and these costs rise rapidly with density'.
2. Poor Doors: ‘Often the affordable homes are in separate blocks, with a different appearance to the private sale homes’. The accompanying report recommends separate entrances for tenants and owners. This is snobbery and social exclusion.
3. There can be Lettings Plans to limit the number of children on the estates, and limit the number of tenants who are unemployed or long-term sick. Inequality and social exclusion yet again.
These schemes are explicitly designed for the benefit and expectations of middle income families.
Councils might be able to limit some of these potential problems, at least for a few years, but sadly there is no indication of Haringey even trying to do so; not yet, anyway.
It is all the very opposite of council housing with its objective of providing housing for the people. We have been warned.
---
Exploring extreme options
We made a Freedom of Information request for a Haringey Options Appraisal about the future of the 1,000 homes at the Noel Park estate. The request was refused – because apparently, council officers need to be able to consider the ‘unthinkable’, and ‘explore extreme options’ in private.
This is scandalous, because residents should be involved and have all the facts from an early stage of any process of decision-making about our homes. We are appealing the decision and hope to have more information soon.
Press coverage:
There was some good coverage of our campaign in the Tottenham and Wood Green Independent. We are being listened to in some quarters at least:
"http://www.thetottenhamindependent.co.uk/news/14102854.Campaigners_urge_people_to__stand_up_and_fight_the_Tories__at_council_meeting/"
The Morning Star wrote:
"http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-fb42-Councils-plan-for-social-cleansing-sparks-fury"
…and the housing news website 24dash ran the story too:
"http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2015-11-23-Haringey-council-tenants-protest-against-social-cleansing"
Kind regards
Paul Burnham
Secretary
Haringey Defend Council Housing
07847 714 158
haringey_dch@outlook.com
All comments and questions are welcome
Please follow Haringey Defend Council Housing on Facebook. Like us, comment, and ask your friends to do likewise.
Leafleting the annual DayMer festival to oppose housing demolitions and social cleansing plans in Haringey, North London, 2015
Haringey Defend Council Housing – Monthly Update
Estate renewal plans: Our rights are at risk
The Council has a new Draft Estate renewal re-housing and payments policy.
This states that the Council will aim to offer secure tenants the option of returning to a new permanent home on their estate 'where possible’. But there are no guarantees. Secure tenants would only be guaranteed another permanent tenancy if they remain council tenants – and we think this would most likely mean moving to a home on another, non-regenerated council estate.
We think that new homes on the renewal estates would most likely be owned by a private registered provider (housing association), in which case new tenancies might be permanent, or fixed-term, depending on the providers’ own policy.
There is no mention of the rents and service charges that would be charged for the new homes, and this is a major issue (see below). There is also no mention of the new Joint Venture company that the council is setting up to run some of the renewal estates, and the type of tenancies that it might offer: these might ‘not be secure tenancies, but rather private rented properties let at secure or affordable rents’ – whatever that may mean.
The Council’s present policy puts our housing rights at risk. Housing Associations are pushing for market-rents and time-limited tenancies, and the developer interests behind these demolition plans are pushing in the same direction.
The draft policy is out for consultation, ending on 17th January, and we will be responding formally.
We need a written guarantee or Charter, with a right to return to new homes on the renewal estates, with new council tenancies, on the same terms as at present, and with no rent or service charge increases.
---
For more background on Haringey's proposals to knock down and rebuild council estates at "higher densities", check out 'Recommendations for living at Superdensity' on YouTube. This short film is based on a high-level report by four leading London architectural practices:
Here are some of the problems the film raises for tenants whose homes are to be demolished:
1. ‘High service charges are a significant part of the management plan, and these costs rise rapidly with density'.
2. Poor Doors: ‘Often the affordable homes are in separate blocks, with a different appearance to the private sale homes’. The accompanying report recommends separate entrances for tenants and owners. This is snobbery and social exclusion.
3. There can be Lettings Plans to limit the number of children on the estates, and limit the number of tenants who are unemployed or long-term sick. Inequality and social exclusion yet again.
These schemes are explicitly designed for the benefit and expectations of middle income families.
Councils might be able to limit some of these potential problems, at least for a few years, but sadly there is no indication of Haringey even trying to do so; not yet, anyway.
It is all the very opposite of council housing with its objective of providing housing for the people. We have been warned.
---
Exploring extreme options
We made a Freedom of Information request for a Haringey Options Appraisal about the future of the 1,000 homes at the Noel Park estate. The request was refused – because apparently, council officers need to be able to consider the ‘unthinkable’, and ‘explore extreme options’ in private.
This is scandalous, because residents should be involved and have all the facts from an early stage of any process of decision-making about our homes. We are appealing the decision and hope to have more information soon.
Press coverage:
There was some good coverage of our campaign in the Tottenham and Wood Green Independent. We are being listened to in some quarters at least:
"http://www.thetottenhamindependent.co.uk/news/14102854.Campaigners_urge_people_to__stand_up_and_fight_the_Tories__at_council_meeting/"
The Morning Star wrote:
"http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-fb42-Councils-plan-for-social-cleansing-sparks-fury"
…and the housing news website 24dash ran the story too:
"http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2015-11-23-Haringey-council-tenants-protest-against-social-cleansing"
Kind regards
Paul Burnham
Secretary
Haringey Defend Council Housing
07847 714 158
haringey_dch@outlook.com
All comments and questions are welcome
Please follow Haringey Defend Council Housing on Facebook. Like us, comment, and ask your friends to do likewise.