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PUTNEY'S
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT TONY COLMAN
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Two
interesting reports reached me this week, one from the
London Housing Federation and the second from Postwatch.
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The
London Housing Federation published some interesting but worrying
statistics this week about housing and related costs in London.
According to a MORI poll crime and safety only just pip housing
as Londoners' top priority. And small wonder - average prices
rose 8% in 2001 to £205,000 - 80% more than the average
house price in Bristol. In Wandsworth, the average house costs
£253,000, requiring a gross annual income of over £68,000
to buy it. However, the average gross income is about £25,000
in Wandsworth.
So
where do our teachers, nurses and police live, and our sons
and daughters? Social rented housing is one answer - but,
partly because of the Right to Buy policy, (so vigorously
pursued by the Council here in Wandsworth), there are 175,000
fewer social rented homes in London than in 1981. Locally,
Wandsworth Council have compounded the problem by selling
social housing on the open market.
What
we need, urgently, if we are to recruit and retain, nurses,
police and teachers, is affordable housing. This could be
pursued by Wandsworth Council as they have the right to force
developers of land over a certain size (half a hectare) to
provide affordable housing on the site. This helps create
healthy, mixed communities, as opposed to large penthouse
blocks along the river. Hammersmith and Fulham recently insisted
on 50% affordable housing on a development - Wandsworth Council
have to be forced by the local Labour MPs to accept even 25%.
The
other option available to the Council is to stop selling off
council assets to developers, and to insist that all old school
buildings, for example the Ethelburga School Site, caretakers
houses, and other properties, are used to provide housing
for key workers. Instead the Council sells off any property
it can (witness the Garden Centre), pockets the money, and
uses it to lower Council tax, but only in election year, such
as this year. Every other year Council tax rises way above
inflation.
So
we residents pay less one year, lots more for 3 years, and
in turn the council sells off the family silver, and refuses
to provide any help for all the people who clean or police
our streets, teach our children, and our own children who
would like to live in the communities they grew up in.
The second report came from Postwatch - the official consumer
voice for all things postal and covers the period of April
to November last year. The key result is that 84.2% of 1st
Class stamped mail in the South West arrived the next day.
To
put that in context, we in the SW area are about average,
with our neighbours in Twickenham coming top with 92.2%, and
the East coming in worst with 81.6%. I would not personally
be against second class deliveries being dropped, provided
all households are guaranteed a daily delivery before noon.
I have been to the sorting office very recently, and the situation,
as I have said before, does seem to be improving. Try the
Postwatch website for more information: www.postwatch.co.uk
To
check if I am your MP, please
log on to www.locata.co.uk/commons
and enter your full postcode.
I
have set up a website www.tonycolman.org.uk
which I hope you will use and enjoy.
Tony
Colman MP
colmant@parliament.uk
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First
Putneysw15.com Diary Entry 8.11.2001
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