Tory Election Housing Promises pure spin (South West Surrey Liberal Democrats)

South West Surrey Liberal Democrats <info@swsurreylibdems.org.uk>

Tory Election Housing Promises pure spin

May 16, 2007 1:29 AM

Ken Reed, Leader of Waverley's Liberal Democrat Group, has taken the new Conservative Leader of the Council to task on election promises.

At Waverley's Annual Council Meeting the newly appointed Leader of the Council, Conservative Councillor Richard Gates, made a number of promises. Ken Reed, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, commenting after the meeting said, "Richard Gates's promises were pure spin and would not deliver the outcomes expected by the people of Waverley."

Cllr Gates reminded the meeting that one of the promises made by the Conservatives in their election manifesto was to install double glazing in 1000 council- owned homes in Waverley. Cllr Gates said double-glazing for 200 homes was "ready to roll" and this would enable all those homes to meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS).

"Unfortunately for Cllr Gates (and Waverley's tenants) double glazing does not form part of the Government's Decent Homes Standard, so spending £3million on double glazing for 1000 council homes - however desirable - will do nothing to help Waverley achieve the Standard for its housing stock," added Cllr Reed. "All that this promise will do is to take Waverley even further away from meeting that target by taking £3million out of the £9million that had been allocated to Decent Homes work by the previous Liberal Democrat administration."

Cllr Reed, who was the Housing Portfolio Holder in the previous Lib Dem administration, continued, "It is bad enough that Waverley is prevented from meeting DHS by the Government, who will take around 44% of tenants' rent money this year, without the new Conservative administration spending what money there is on non-decent homes works such as double glazing. Hopefully Waverley's Tenants Panel will tell Cllr Gates that this is a half-baked promise that won't help Waverley achieve DHS. There is still time, as I am sure that the work on installing double glazing in 200 homes has not actually started yet."