Editorial

COUNCIL BRAZEN BEYOND BELIEF!

5 October 2009

For the council to put out a letter telling leaseholders that they will seek to go ahead with major works before consulting them is brazen beyond belief.

This move comes just a week after the 'News' published the results of an independent audit, that revealed a number of real concerns over how leaseholders are treated by Southwark Council. Not least the belief that 'they are not always working in the interest of their leaseholders'.

The relationship between the council and those who have bought council homes has never been good since 'right-to-buy' was introduced by a Thatcher government over 20 years ago. The then Labour administration resented this radical policy being imposed on them.

But as the audit report showed, little has changed at the town hall, despite 'right-to-buy' being an established practice and there being a change of administration in Southwark. The report said service charges seemed to rely too heavily on borough-wide costs, rather than tailoring them to individual estates.

And incorrect bills, question marks over procurement and contract management procedures are long running sores, which prompted the Leaseholder Council to lobby for the audit in the first place.

The audit refers to 2005/6, when the council was run solely by the Liberal Democrats. Now a coalition administration between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives, the ruling politicians were quick to claim that since then a lot had changed, particularly towards breaking the costs down on a block by block assessment.

Indeed, the fact that the audit was published and the council agreed to work on the recommendations made, suggest that leaseholders will be given more transparency - something that they have been fighting to get for years.

However, even this little ray of hope disappears when just over a week later leaseholders receive a letter telling them the council will go before the Leaseholder Valuation Tribunal (LVT) on October 13, looking to avoid talking to its tenants before embarking on major works.

Those who own their former council homes are now challenging the decision, claiming the council is trying to avoid being upfront about charges.

They also state that if the council is successful in its application it will be tied into long term major works contracts, meaning the decision will be irreversible, even if the ruling Lib Dem/Conservative coalition loses power in next year's election.

The council says it will not mean that consultation nearer the time the building works starts won’t take place.
But will that be too late for the leaseholders to have any real say?

Agree or disagree?
Let us know what you think!
E-mail letters@southwarknews.org

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