David Cameron’s housing policies threaten security of tenure for eight million social housing tenants and Britain’s house building programme, Unite deputy general secretary, Jack Dromey, yesterday told the Defend Council Housing conference in London.
Jack Dromey will detail:

• The plans of Steven Greenhaulgh, Conservative leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council and leader of David Cameron’s Council Innovation Unit, drawn up in secret and only exposed by Freedom of Information requests.  Those plans involve the demolition of 3,400 Council homes, a steep hike in rents and ending security of tenure.
• The advice given by Caroline Spelman, Tory spokeswoman on housing to all Tory councils that they should say ‘no’ to government plans to meet projected housing demand.
• Proposed Tory plans for house building and planning would prevent the building of 15 per cent fewer homes in the south east between now and 2026, according to Tory planning proposals in a green paper. Great damage would also be done to the construction industry. The West Midlands, which suffered a 22 per cent fall in construction output in 2009, would be particularly hard hit. 

On the secret plans drawn up by the Tory laboratory council of Hammersmith and Fulham, hailed by David Cameron as being the future for local government, Jack Dromey said: ”David Cameron’s flagship council, Hammersmith and Fulham, has drawn up plans to demolish 3,400 Council homes, end security of tenure and hike up social housing rents to market levels. A two-bedroom council flat that currently costs £85 per week would go up to £380 per week.

“David Cameron has hailed Hammersmith and Fulham as the future.  Knocking down council homes, ending security of tenure and hiking up rents to gerrymander votes is the politics of the discredited Dame Shirley Porter Westminster past.”

On Tory plans to block the building of tens of thousands of homes to buy, Jack Dromey said ”David Cameron is no friend of families who want to buy their own homes. Blocking house building also damages the economy which badly needs new homes to build Britain out of recession.  

“The hardest hit region in Britain is the West Midlands with a fall in construction output alone of 22 per cent in 2009.  No wonder Taylor Wimpey chief executive, Peter Redfern described Conservative housing plans as ‘scary as hell’.’

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