News from Labour Matters

Watch David Cameron get it wrong in Hammersmith

Last week David Cameron visited the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to hold one of his ‘Cameron Direct’ meetings. But Stephen Cowan, the Leader of Labour’s opposition group on the Council, told us:

“He made two points when responding to residents of Council estates which are currently being targeted for demolition by the local Conservative-run council. Both points are demonstrably false.

“Firstly, David Cameron told a questioner that ‘when it comes to housing estates, they [H&F's Conservative Administration] don’t have plans to knock down loads of housing estates. There’s an awful lot of black propaganda being put about by the Labour Party and others.’ But the Council is at an advanced stage of consultation to knock down these residents homes, have published plans to demolish six estates on the Council’s website, and the Council Leader is on video admitting it:

“Secondly, David Cameron told Maxine Bayliss, another resident whose home is under threat, ‘If you look in terms of house building, I’ve looked at the figures before coming tonight, the previous administration built 800 new low cost houses in the four years to 2006. In the four years to 2010 the Conservatives have built, I think, 1700 houses.’

“None of that is true either.

“On 6th November last year, the Chief Executive of Hammersmith and Fulham Council sent me a letter confirming that a total of 870 affordable rented homes will have been built by housing associations (councils aren’t allowed to build homes) by the end 2010. Not 1700.”

“Of these 870 affordable rented homes, 449 had the deals put together and planning permission granted by the last Labour Administration between 2001 to 2006 – nearly all opposed by the Conservatives at the time. A further 104 of these affordable rented homes were imposed on Hammersmith and Fulham by Mayor Ken Livingstone between 2006 to May 2008 – which the Conservatives also objected to.”

More detail is available on The Cowan Report.

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