Letter to the Editor

Sir,

I really must take issue with Cllr Ingall’s statement of the 4 March when he said that ” we do have plans to provide affordable housing and by that I mean social housing that is truly affordable, at council house rents on long term secure tenancies. Our Local Plan provides for 12000 new homes, with 30% of these being social housing available for Harlow residents on the Harlow Housing Needs List.

This statement is simply not true and suggests that Cllr Ingall is confused between what affordable housing and social housing mean.

So let’s put the record straight. Whilst Harlow’s Local Plan may now see some 12000 homes built in Harlow during the period 2020 to 2033, the fact is, only a tiny percentage (about 4%) of these homes will be built on Council owned land and will therefore be social housing. Of those 500 or so homes it now seems that even many of these may not remain in Council ownership. In Harlow Times, the Council’s quarterly newspaper, there is an article about housing, which states that £12 million will be spent over the next few years to build just 86 council homes.

Bearing in mind that during the period April 2012 to April 2019 the Council lost 644 homes because tenants exercised their Right To Buy or through other disposals, with over 4000 applicants on it’s housing waiting list, there will be even less chance of a council home. Cllr Ingall seems to be confusing his Council’s target of 30% of all new homes being built as “affordable homes” with those in public ownership, when in reality the target will only apply to those companies building homes for sale in the town. However, when you look at the cumulative total of “affordable homes” being built at Ram Gorse, in the town centre, Gilden Way and Newhall, the Council’s target is not being met.

And what of the Plans of neighbouring authorities such as Epping Forest DC, part of The Harlow and Gilston Garden Town? Well I am afraid that most of these homes will be in private ownership and thousands will not even be in Essex, so none of the new homes bonus paid by the Government or council tax will be paid to Harlow Council which could otherwise help to regenerate Harlow Town Centre.

In conclusion, no-one should be taken in that Labour’s plan for the future of Harlow will help lots of applicants on the council house waiting list of Harlow or other local authorities in the surrounding area. These Plans are all about housing greed, not housing need.