MATTHEW BENNETT IS HOMES FOR LAMBETH CHAIRMAN – NEW COUNCIL BODY WILL RUN AS HOUSING ASSOCIATION
Cllr Matthew Bennett, Lambeth council’s cabinet member for housing, is to be the chairman of the controversial new Homes for Lambeth organisation.
Homes for Lambeth – initially planned to be set up as a company to take over six estates which the council want to demolish and rebuild – will now be run as a housing association.
The Gipsy Hill ward councillor announced the move at a meeting of Lambeth’s overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Monday night.
“Housing for Lambeth is going to be entirely council-owned and council-controlled. “That will be registered as a housing association. “We can be our own property developer.”
Savills the estate agents had been brought in to set up Homes for Lambeth because it was technical and Lambeth do not have the capability “to do this and carry out a regulatory piece of work” he added..
“We want to build the homes we know the people in Lambeth need. “We can offer people in the private rented sector long-term tenancies.”
Homes for Lambeth would be set up as a not-for-profit organisation.
Simon Elmer of ASH (Architects for Social Housing) which has put forward alternative plans for both Cressingham Gardens and Central Hill estates – referring to ‘social cleansing’ – asked: “What’s to stop this council and this cabinet selling Homes for Lambeth in five years time?”
The six estates are: Knights Walk; South Lambeth; Westbury; Cressingham Gardens, Central Hill and Fenwick.
(First development management teams are chosen for Lambeth’s estate regeneration programme – Lambeth council press release May 10th 2016)