Public Meeting - 6th February 2017 - Privatisation of Council Homes and Land

HoL members will already have heard of the Council's plans to transfer £2 billion worth of council homes and public land across the borough to  the "Haringey Development Vehicle" a company to be owned by the Council and a single private developer.

The scheme has caused great concern to the Council's scrutiny committee, which has unanimously urged the Council's cabinet to think again before it goes ahead with the proposal.

The threat of dislocation to existing council tenants and the sheer financial risk of putting assets of such enormous value into the hands of a single developer are among the many matters which have been raised.

Unfortunately, the Cabinet does not appear to be listening, and indeed a decision is due to be made by it on the 14th February when the preferred developer is due to be named.

While the Liberal Democrats are justly proud of the leading role which their councillors have played in bringing these concerns to light, it is right to say that they have worked with a number of like-minded Labour councillors and others from outside the Council in opposing the scheme in its present form.

Because of the urgency and importance of the matter, we are holding a public meeting where local residents will be able to inform themselves further and to ask questions. It will be held

Monday, 6th February 2017, 7:30 pm, St. Mary's Infants School, Church Lane, N8 7BU

Paul Burnham of Defend Haringey Housing has been invited to speak.

Cllr Alan Strickland, the Cabinet Member in charge of the scheme has also been invited, but has declined and has not yet offered a substitute speaker to speak in favour of the scheme. Should he do so, the person he names will certainly be invited to speak.

Further information is available from Cllr Brabazon's posting on HoL at http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/scrutiny-report-on-hari...

A recent piece in The Guardian can be found at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/19/lives-torn-ap...

David Schmitz

Lib Dem former Cllr, Harringay Ward