PROTEST: Holly Lodge Estate residents (from left) Virginia Cleugh, Grace Livingstone and Marese McGrane
HOUSING bosses are to sell up to 500 council homes in a bid to raise £110million for much-needed repairs.
The decision was made by Camden's ruling Liberal Democrat-Conservative executive last Wednesday - despite protestors' claims that it would mean the beginning of the end of council housing in the borough.
Of the 24,000 council homes rented out to tenants, half fall short of the Government's decent homes standard. Communal areas such as lifts and gas mains also need repairing.
But the council is £242million short of the £413million it needs to do the work - and the Government will not pay up. Without more cash, Camden's council homes are unlikely to brought up to standard before 2030 - if at all.
In May, the council drafted a plan to help it plug the gap and repair most of its council homes by 2012.
This included scaling down some refurbishment plans and selling up to 500 empty homes.
Residents have since been consulted and last Wednesday's meeting was told that 68.2 per cent of the tenants and leaseholders who filled in a council questionnaire thought the proposals were a good idea.
It was sent to 33,000 people but only 1,110 replied - just 3.3 per cent.
Labour councillor Roger Robinson told the meeting: "This seems to be beginning of the end of council housing."
Kathleen O'Donoghue, 54, of the Camden Association of Street Properties, fears her own council house could be sold. She said: "Plans to sell even a limited number of properties, at a time when demand for council housing far exceeds supply, directly affects our communities."
Elizabeth Doherty, 37, of the Holly Lodge Residents' Association, spoke up to campaign against selling off blocks on the Holly Lodge Estate, Highgate.
She said: "Complaints of anti-social behaviour and harassment are substantially less at Holly Lodge than on any other estate. We should be doing whatever we can to preserve safe housing for tenants."
While the executive gave the go-ahead to the plan, it also committed to building more than the number being sold off by 2015. Its plan is now being submitted to the Government.
Chris Naylor (Lib-Dem), executive member for housing, said: "The council is committed to its tenants and council housing and this is a demonstration of what a priority we give it.
