Cuckoo in the nest: The IWCA in the council chamber
Main parties reaffirm ‘social cleansing’ policy
IWCA councillor Lee Cole challenged the city council’s policy of ‘disposing’ of council homes at the full council meeting on 26 June.
Under a procedure drawn up by Labour when it had control of the council, local authority housing deemed to be too expensive to repair is sold off.
In a motion submitted to the council, Lee Cole argued that this policy has resulted in council houses in mainly middle class areas being unnecessarily sold-off when the council’s repair and maintenance department should be able to renovate homes at well below the commercial cost.
The result, said Cllr Cole, is ‘social cleansing’, where the council is helping to ensure that working class residents can no longer afford to live in certain parts of the city.
Once council homes are sold off it is extremely unlikely, if not impossible, that they will ever be replaced by new council properties.
Unfortunately the main parties on the council refused to accept the argument (or perhaps they are quite happy with the idea of removing working class residents from the posher parts of Oxford).
The policy will continue as before but with the Lib Dems now running it.
Council admits overcharging tenants
A four year fight by an Oxford pensioner, with the support of the IWCA, finally paid off in June when the city council agreed it had been overcharging a number of its tenants in sheltered housing for 10 years.
As a result the Marston resident has been refunded £4,000 rent with interest and was also awarded £1,000 compensation by the local government ombudsman.
15 other sheltered accommodation tenants across Oxford may receive refunds leaving the council with a total bill of £75,000
The IWCA took up the case in 2003.
Figures were presented to council officers and on several occasions questions were put to the leader of the council about discrepancies in the rent charging system.
At each stage council officers refused to admit they were wrong.
Eventually the local government ombudsman undertook a review of the council’s charges and recommended a refund.
Leys Independent, issue 33, August 2006
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