Edinburghagainststocktransfer VOTE NO
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EdinburghAgainstStockTransfer VOTE NO TO PRIVATISATION EDINBURGH COUNCIL wants to of private finance, where they are under sell off our homes for just £941 increasing pressure to expand, merge, each – it’s a scandal. They say and ‘diversify’ into building luxury GLASGOW SELL-OFF A“ FAILURE we can have millions of pounds homes for private sale. If CEHA breaks worth of improvements to our their promises we won’t have any re- Stock transfer has been tried in “We were HOMELESSNESS homes, AND have lower rents. dress: the offer document is a contract Glasgow. It has been a failure. promised the It’s a con. between the new landlord and the coun- world by GHA and IS UP They don’t tell us that stock transfer is cil – not between the new landlord and look at it now. Large-scale demolitions have privatisation and that the banks will be tenants. 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 The money is there to do up our dampness to be sorted and I city. Despite promising to build public service. Council housing may not homes, and to build the new affordable applied to existing tenants – cannot find anyone to tell me between 6,000 and 10,000 be perfect but it has served generations housing Edinburgh so badly needs. new tenants moving in after when it will be new homes, the GHA has not well. As council tenants we have a spe- There is £320 million of public money transfer have been charged at fixed.” (Glasgow built a single new house (The cial relationship with our landlord. If we available to write off the council’s his- a higher rate. Tenants have tenant)* Herald April 20 2004). With don’t like the way they manage our toric debt if we transfer; and a further been threatened with eviction “ thousands more homes due to homes, we can vote them out at £200 million in grants to build new for just one month’s rent the next election. But the homes. They try to blackmail be demolished re-housing is arrears. The 10 year so called City of Edinburgh us by saying they will only do turning into a major issue. Housing Association this if we agree to transfer. “guarantee” on rents is about TENANTS will be run by a board It doesn’t make any sense. to be ripped up. of directors who will Council housing is cheaper to DISEMPOWERED “The really sad be accountable to the build, manage and maintain Tenants Billy MacAllister and thing about the company, not to ten- than ‘social’ housing. If they PROMISES Colin Deans (both prominent whole issue is ants. provided a level playing field BROKEN ‘NO’ campaigners subsequently that we have Transfer is risky. and made the same money Glasgow Housing Association’s elected by tenants to the board) sold off for next to nothing something that is not ours Housing associations available to the council direct, chief executive was forced to have been kicked off the board operate in the big busi- there would be more than to sell in the first place. If acknowledge to the BBC that and their replacements have ness world enough to bring our homes up been hand picked by the GHA. my parents had voted for the GHA were “not going to stock transfer in the 1960s I to the Edinburgh Standard, do Local housing boards have not the environmental improve- meet every target” and that don’t think that there would ments on our estates, and pro- “there will be a whole lot of been given the power they were “have been a house like this “ vide new affordable people with expectations who promised. one for me to rent in the housing. we will, to some extent, let 1980s. Can we really look at Don’t take the down for a while” (BBC PRIVATISATION our kids now and say they’ll risk – if you don’t Scotland, 21 October 2003) be okay that there will be a know, vote NO! 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, “ written off only to be replaced “We warned 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 they would eventually have a banks in control. On top of that *Quotes from alternative Marginalised Voices: price to pay” GHA’s management costs are TRANSFER IS DEEPLY unpopular In England, 93 councils have de- higher than the amount they Resisting the Privatisation (Glasgow of Council Housing in across the UK. Out of 32 councils in cided they will keep the ownership and community spend on repairs and major Scotland, only three have transferred management of their homes. The call “ Glasgow by G Mooney & activist and GMB investment combined. their homes, and two of those are already for direct investment is supported by L Poole (Local Economy, steward)* (GHA Annual report 2003/04) Feb 2005) experiencing problems. The majority of tenants, all the major trade unions, the 29 authorities who have to make a more than 250 MPs from across all par- decision have chosen retention. Dundee ties, a new organisation of authorities and Aberdeen tenants have already re- retaining council housing (ARCH), and “Tenants across the UK are demanding direct investment in council housing as an jected transfer. And if Edinburgh joins an overwhelming vote at Labour's con- alternative to privatisation. If government can write off Edinburgh’s debt on transfer to them and votes NO there will be huge ference. a private company they can write it off to enable the council to carry out the pressure on the Executive to provide We shouldn't give in to the black- improvement we need. Vote No to transfer and join with other tenants, councillors, direct investment for Scotland. mail, when the support for direct invest- trade unions and MPs to win this campaign – for us and for future generations.” In Wales only one area has ever trans- ment is stronger than ever before. Vote ferred, one has voted NO to transfer, and NO, and tell politicians we want the George McKie, President, Edinburgh Tenants Federation there is massive reluctance among the debt written off for Edinburgh – with- rest to go down the transfer route. out strings attached! Strong cross-party support for council housing: see inside >>> Campaign grows across the UK>>> “Nobody has asked for a change of “The Transfer in Glasgow has been horrendous. The GHA is investing in limited core stock, landlord. We need direct investment. leaving 30,000 tenants and families without investment of any kind, resulting with tenants EdinburghAgainstStockTransfer Public housing should remain in public living in poor conditions. In effect GHA is operating a two tier system (social apartheid) ownership: councils are accountable, 30,000 tenants get and 30,000 tenants don’t. The GHA wants to demolish 19,000 homes private Housing Associations are not!!” and they have not consulted tenants. This would result in social cleansing – kicking out low Wendy Walton, Secretary, income tenants and bringing in higher income tenants. I would urge all tenants to vote NO to Edinburgh Against Stock Transfer Housing Stock Transfer/Privatisation!" Sean Clerkin, Spokesperson, Glasgow Campaign Against Stock Transfer/ Glasgow Save our Homes Campaign The case against transfer Transfer is privatisation. Registered costs of the new company will be 20% in England, where transfer has been Social Landlords (RSLs or housing as- higher than those of the council. They around for 17 years, the problems are sociations) are private companies in plan to spend £8.1 million of our rent clear. Many transfer associations get law and they borrow on the private money just on set-up costs after trans- into financial difficulties - one fifth market. The transfer of council hous- fer - that's for things like new offices have had to be placed under supervi- THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE ing to an RSL means a less democratic and to design a new corporate image sion by the Housing Corporation, the We should defend and im- have to spend 40p in every £1 towards housing service, increased homeless- (CEHA Business Plan). Someone has equivalent of Communities Scotland prove council housing for our the repayment of historic debt. ness, and big pay rises for senior man- to pay for this. (The Guardian, 25 May 2005) children and for future gener- Why should tenants have to pay to- agers. ations – it’s their right as well wards the historic debt of building Sell-off is risky. Rent guarantees We Could End Up in a Huge Regeneration or as ours. public housing, a national asset? When and glossy promises are often broken. Business Empire Gentrification? you go into hospital you're not asked There is a high risk either that City of The bulk of the promised 'investment' If you live in one of the 'regeneration' THE MONEY’S THERE to pay towards the historic debt of Edinburgh Housing Association will will in fact be a loan of £1.3 billion areas the risks are even greater. The The money is there to do up our building the hospital! get into financial trouble and have to be from the banks. This will create enor- CEHA Business Plan has identified homes.