Scotland Newspaper
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ScotlandDefendCouncilHousing VOTE NO TO PRIVATISATION THE GOVERNMENT WANTS Transfer is risky. Housing associa- councils in Scotland to sell off tions operate in the big business world our homes – it’s a scandal. They of private finance, where they are GLASGOW SELL-OFF A FAILURE say we can have millions of under increasing pressure to expand, pounds worth of improvements merge, and ‘diversify’ into building Stock transfer has been tried in “We were “ HOMELESSNESS to our homes, AND have lower luxury homes for private sale. If prom- Glasgow. It has been a failure. promised the rents. It’s a con. ises are broken we won’t have any re- world by GHA and IS UP They don’t tell us that stock transfer is dress: the offer document is a contract look at it now. Large-scale demolitions have privatisation and that the banks will be between the new landlord and the RENTS UP I have been waiting years for provoked protests across the The rent guarantee only making a profit out of what is now a council – not between the new landlord dampness to be sorted and I city. Despite promising to build applied to existing tenants – cannot find anyone to tell me public service. Council housing may not and tenants. between 6,000 and 10,000 be perfect, but it has served generations The money is there to do up our new tenants moving in after when it will be new homes, the GHA has not well. As council tenants we have a spe- homes, and to build the new affordable transfer have been charged at fixed.” (Glasgow built a single new house (The cial relationship with our landlord. If we housing Scotland so badly needs. a higher rate. Tenants have tenant)* don’t like the way they manage our There is £0.7 billion of public money “ Herald April 20 2004). With been threatened with eviction thousands more homes due to homes, we can vote them out at the next available to write off councils’ historic for just one month’s rent election. But the new housing associa- debt if we transfer; and hundreds of be demolished re-housing is arrears. Despite a 10-year tion landlords will be run by a board of millions in grants to build new homes turning into a major issue. directors who will be accountable to the (see page 2 for details). They try to ‘guarantee’ after just 3 years TENANTS company, not to tenants. blackmail us by saying they will only rents are to be ‘restructured’. do this if we agree to transfer. DISEMPOWERED “The really sad It doesn’t make any sense. Council Tenants Billy MacAllister and thing about the housing is cheaper to build, manage PROMISES Colin Deans (both prominent whole issue is and maintain than ‘social’ housing. If BROKEN ‘NO’ campaigners subsequently that we have the government and Executive can Glasgow Housing Association’s elected by tenants to the board) sold off for next to nothing something that is not ours spend over £1billion subsidising chief executive was forced to have been kicked off the board transfer, it can give the same to Local to sell in the first place. If acknowledge to the BBC that and their replacements have Authorities to both improve and in- been hand picked by the GHA. my parents had voted for the GHA were “not going to stock transfer in the 1960s I crease the supply of council housing. The promise of second-stage We demand that the government meet every target” and that don’t think that there would “there will be a whole lot of transfer to local organisations “have been a house like this enable councils to improve homes and estates, which is what tenants want. people with expectations who has been cynically broken. one for me to rent in the “ Don’t take the risk – if you we will, to some extent, let 1980s. Can we really look at don’t know, vote NO! down for a while” (BBC PRIVATISATION our kids now and say they’ll Scotland, 21 October 2003) be okay that there will be a AND HIGH COSTS council house for them in Glasgow’s housing debt was the future? This is going to come back and haunt us all, “We warned written off only to be replaced “ believe me.” people that with a new, bigger debt to (Glasgow tenant There is an despite all the finance the improvements and campaigner)* guarantees that ‘regeneration’ – borrowing from were on offer, once the the private market has meant banks and moneylenders got higher rates of interest and the involved with their housing alternative banks in control. On top of that *Quotes from they would eventually have a price to pay” GHA’s management costs are Marginalised Voices: TRANSFER IS DEEPLY unpopular The call for direct investment is sup- higher than the amount they Resisting the Privatisation (Glasgow of Council Housing in across the UK. Out of 32 councils in ported by tenants, all the major trade “community spend on repairs and major Glasgow by G Mooney & Scotland, only three have transferred unions, more than 250 MPs from across activist and GMB investment combined. their homes. 20 out of 29 authorities who all parties, a new organisation of au- L Poole (Local Economy, steward)* (GHA Annual report 2003/04) Feb 2005) had to make a decision have chosen re- thorities retaining council housing tention. Following the Edinburgh NO (ARCH), and an overwhelming vote at vote there is aleady huge pressure on the Labour's conference. “The impact of the Edinburgh NO vote has sent shock waves across the whole Executive to provide direct investment This pressure is already having an for Scotland. effect, with the government now look- Scottish political spectrum. It has created a debate about how to fund decent In Wales only one area has ever trans- ing again at housing finance. affordable council housing where none existed. As debt write off comes from the ferred, one has voted NO to transfer, and We shouldn't give in to the black- Westminster Treasury we should unite our forces north and south of the border to there is massive reluctance among the mail, when the support for direct invest- rest to go down the transfer route. In ment is stronger than ever before. Vote secure a future for coucil housing across the UK” Jenni Marrow, Secretary, England, 98 councils have decided they NO, and tell politicians we want the Scottish Tenants Organisation will keep the ownership and manage- debt written off for council housing in ment of their homes. Scotland – without strings attached! Strong cross-party support for council housing: see inside >>> Campaign grows across the UK>>> As a tenant I am opposed to stock transfer as We are sure we can As an Edinburgh Labour MP I strongly support it will lead to higher rents, poorer services to convince Highland the contribution which Council housing can tenants and less accountability for those tenants to follow the lead make in urban and rural Scotland. I am proud making decisions. I am also a shop steward shown by Edinburgh that Edinburgh council tenants in their ballot for UCATT and we as a union are opposed to tenants and reject the rejected whole sale stock transfer of our stock transfer as it will mean a drop in working false promises of houses to what in effect would have been a conditions for members and inevitable job privatisation.” super-quango with minimal effective losses as the Housing Association will cuts Donnie Kerr, Chair, accountability. I hope that council tenants in costs and services.” Joe McDonagh, Highlands Against other areas in Scotland will follow Edinburgh’s “““Stirling Against Stock Transfer Stock Transfer lead and vote No.” Gavin Strang MP THERE IS AN ALTER The money is there WE SHOULD DEFEND AND ment of historic debt – 41p in every £1 burgh for new housing or £32m in Stir- The tenants of Scotland demand that improve council housing for our of rent in the Highlands for example. ling for ‘regeneration’). But there is no if the money is there, and it costs noth- children and for future genera- The UK Treasury has already spent financial reason whatsoever why this in- ing, then the debt should be written off tions – it’s their right as well as £1.3 billion subsidising debt write-off in vestment should depend on transfer. It and tenants should not be blackmailed ours. Scotland and is prepared to spend an- would cost exactly the same if it was into selling off our homes and our The money is there to do up our other £0.7 billion as well. A new report given to councils direct. futures. homes. Over £1 billion of public money from Audit Scotland shows that writing has been made available in Scotland to off debt costs the public nothing: Look how much money the government is prepared subsidise the current transfer pro- “This form of debt repayment is not to pour into subsidising transfer in Scotland...... gramme. If there was a level playing in itself a cost to government in cash field and the same money was made terms... there is no net effect (cost or Debt Write-Off Gap Funding Other Total available to the councils direct, there benefit) for the Exchequer or the tax- & Setup Inducements would be more than enough to bring our payer when the Treasury provides grant Costs homes up to the Scottish Housing Qual- aid to allow repayment of a council’s ity Standard, and do the environmental PWLB loan debt.” (Council housing Edinburgh £320m £0m £200m £520m improvements on our estates.