Tag Archives: Elliot Road

Residents overwhelmingly reject plans for a for-profit company to take over their homes

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Residents on the Lothian estate in Maytt’s Fields have overwhelmingly rejected proposals from a for-profit, private company to snatch control of their homes.

The results of a consultation, held at the end of last year, found that:

  • Around two thirds of eligible residents gave their views: a huge turnout from the community – thank you to everyone who took the time to vote!
  • A huge 82 per cent of council tenants said they did not want a ballot on the proposals
  • Every single leaseholder in the area voted no to a ballot being held.

This huge “no” vote came after local councillors and residents raised serious concerns about how the plans could affects the bills of tenants and leaseholders, and put the future of their homes in doubt. Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd and their partner PACCA TMO also clearly failed to convince residents that they had either expertise or ability to run their homes.

Speaking about the result, Cllr Paul Gadsby and Cllr Annie Gallop said:

“Lambeth Council have confirmed that they believe no ballot is now needed on these proposals given the large turnout and clear majority who rejected these plans. We support this position and would urge Vision Homes Lambeth to listen to the people and abandon the proposal. It is concerning that early indications appear to show that the for profit outfit still wants to continue with a ballot.

“We would like to thank everyone who has spoken to us about these takeover plans: we realise this process has been extremely stressful for many residents.”

Further reading on these proposals

Local housing boss warns residents could be left worse off by for-profit private company takeover plan

For-profit outfit unable to provide basic information about their proposals

Leaseholders will lose out under local home takeover plan

Local councillors urge Lothian estate residents to reject plans by for-profit, private company to take control of local homes

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Local Myatt’s Fields councillors have urged residents on the Lothian estate to reject plans by a for-profit, private company to take over control of local homes as a new consultation kicks off on the proposals.

After a year of what has been described as “baffling” delays from Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd and PACCA TMO, Lambeth council tenants and leaseholders on the Lothian estate will finally get their say on these troubling proposals. A consultation about the plans will start on 13 November and run until 18 December with residents set to receive information about the plans from an independent electoral organisation that will be running the exercise.

The proposals, which are the first time a for-profit company has attempted this kind of council home takeover in the UK, have drawn considerable fire from the local community and councillors. Cllr Paul Gadsby and Cllr Annie Gallop are warning residents that these proposals could result in:

  • New bills for residents: Vision Homes are proposing a new ‘Sink Fund’ charged to tenants, but they haven’t said much the charge will be, if there is any cap on how much it will be and what the fund will be used for. Vision Homes could also increase other bills like service charges during the year and ask you to pay VAT on services like repairs.
  • Concerns over the future of local homes: If Vision Homes were to sell homes on the estate to another company in the future, like a private developer, they will not be obligated to ballot residents to ask if they are happy with this sell off. Residents will also not be able to elect people to represent them on the “new board” that will be set up to run your estate: members of the board will be chosen by Vision Homes.
  • An organisation with no track record of running homes taking control of housing services: This for-profit company has no track record of running social housing. If this transfer goes ahead it would be the first of its kind anywhere in the UK.

Cllr Gadsby and Cllr Gallop are urging residents to express their concerns about these plans in the consultation: if residents indicate they are favour of this for-profit takeover, a ballot of council tenants will happen in early 2024.

Cllr Gadsby and Cllr Gallop said:

“We have heard from many residents on the Lothian estate who are worried sick about these proposals. We would strongly urge residents to reject these proposals.”

“We want to thank the many residents who have spoken to us about these worrying plans: please get in touch if you want to speak to us further. “

Further reading on these proposals

Local housing boss warns residents could be left worse off by for-profit private company takeover plan

For-profit outfit unable to provide basic information about their proposals

Leaseholders will lose out under local home takeover plan

New move to ensure childrens’ road safety close to a Myatt’s Fields school

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Local children will be protected from speeding vehicles near a local school under plans tabled by Lambeth Council.

The “school street” initiative for Christ Church school is part of a borough wide programme that has been in operation for a number of years. Your local Labour team has been pressing for the inclusion of the school following representations from parents and residents.

Under the scheme, some nearby streets are temporarily closed at times when pupils are arriving or leaving schools — the beginning and the end of the academic day. The details are to be confirmed, but the council has set a likely starting date for Christ Church of May next year, probably briefly shutting Cancell Road between Elliot Road and Eythorne Road.

Myatt’s Fields councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop said:

“This is a good step by Lambeth Council which we do welcome: residents have been pressing for sometime for the area around Christ Church to be made safer for children during peak times for the school. We would like to thank everyone who has been in touch with us about this issue.”

Councillor Rezina Choudhary, Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, commented:

“Cllr Paul Gadsby and Cllr Annie Gallop have made it very clear to the council that more needs to be done to tackle the traffic problems around Christ Church School which have been a cause of real concern for local parents.

“We have listened to their lobbying, and believe a school street will be a significant step towards protecting local children and reducing traffic around the school at peak times. We do realise there is a lot still to be done across Myatt’s Fields, including addressing the congestion issues on Loughborough Road and dangerous driving around Myatt’s Park, the Myatts North and South estates. We’ll continue to work with councillors and residents on all of these challenges, especially as the borough has announced a substantial package of funding for the area.”

More delays hit private company’s attempted take over of council homes on the Lothian Estate

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Lambeth Council have confirmed that there is still no end in sight to the year long saga of an attempt by a private, for-profit company to take over council homes on the Lothian estate in Myatt’s Fields.

In April, Lambeth wrote to residents telling them that Vision Homes (Lambeth) LTD and PACCA TMO LTD, had not produced key details of their plans that would allow a consultation and then ballot to take place on their proposals to grab the ownership of more than 200 council tenant properties on the Lothian estate.

In November last year, Cllr Maria Kay (Cabinet member for Better Homes and Reducing Homelessness in Lambeth) wrote a similarly strongly worded letter to tenants warning these plans could leave them worse off financially. Local councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop also have raised concerns that leaseholders, owing to national legislation, will be excluded from the ballot, but will have their leases transferred to this private company should tenants vote “yes” to the proposals in a ballot.

Lambeth Council say that, as the summer draws to a close, key details have still not been provided that would allow a ballot to take place. Cllr Kay said:

“It is incredibly disappointing that residents around the Lothian estate have now been waiting for almost a year for this situation to be clarified. I am baffled as to why it has taken the private company so long to clarify basic information about how their financial plans stack up. We will continue as a council to raise our concerns about these dangerous and potentially disasterous plans.”

Below: a copy of the letter written to tenants in April.

Private, for-profit company still “unable to provide key information” on plans for takeover of local council homes

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A private, for-profit company which is trying to take over some local council homes in Myatt’s Fields has still to provide vital information on how it would run vital services including repairs, according to Lambeth Council.

After almost six months, Vision Homes (Lambeth) LTD and PACCA TMO LTD, are still yet to produce key details of their plans that would allow a consultation and then ballot to take place on their proposals to grab the ownership of more than 200 council tenant properties on the Lothian estate.

The claim was made in a letter from the Interim Cabinet Member for Better Homes and Reducing Homelessness, Cllr Tim Windle, to residents last week.

The message, supported by local Myatt’s Fields Councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop, re-iterated Lambeth’s opposition to the proposals – – which the Council believes could end up costing council tenants more money. A copy of the letter is below:

A date for the proposed ballot has still not yet been set. Council tenant and leaseholder properties affected by these proposals are on the following streets — unfortunately, owing to national legislation, leaseholders are barred from voting despite facing their leases being transferred to Vision Homes should there be a Yes vote:

  • Lothian Road (Dalkeith House, Silverburn House and Bathgate House)
  • Langton Road
  • Frederick Crescent
  • Myatt Road
  • Halsmere Road
  • Patmos Road
  • Tindal Street
  • Elliott Road
  • Cancell Road

Councillors criticise private company’s failure to provide “basic information” about its proposals to take over council housing on the Lothian estate

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Local councillors have expressed their concern that a private, for-profit company attempting to take control of local council homes on the Lothian estate has failed to provide basic information about its plan, including how they plan to fund housing repairs and who is behind its takeover bid.

Cllr Maria Kay, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Reducing Homelessness, expressed her disappointment in a letter to council tenants last week. Cllr Kay laid out six key and “basic” areas where the private company have failed to provide sufficient information for a ballot to be held on whether council homes should be transferred to their control.

In the early autumn, Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd, supported by PACCA TMO, announced their intention to try and take over ownership of council homes on the Lothian estate, despite the organisation having no track record of running council housing elsewhere in the country. A ballot of council tenants would need to be held to approve the transfer of the council homes from Lambeth Council to the private company. In November, Cllr Kay wrote a strongly worded letter to tenants warning these proposals could leave them worse off financially. In addition, local councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop have raised concerns that leaseholders, owing to national legislation, will be excluded from the ballot, but will have their leases transferred to this private company should tenants vote “yes” to the proposals in a ballot. Cllr Gadsby and Cllr Gallop have also expressed their concern that the delay caused by Vision Homes Ltd is resulting in stress to the local community, with residents being left in limbo about the future of their homes.

A full copy of Cllr Kay’s letter to residents can be read below.

Dear Resident,

The Future of Your Home – Proposed Right to Transfer Application by PACCA TMO and Vision Homes (Lambeth) Limited

I am writing to provide you with an update on PACCA TMO Ltd (PACCA TMO) and their current partner Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd’s proposals to take over the ownership and management of your homes in the Lothian Estate and others in and around Patmos Road.

This proposal is a result of national legislation which means PACCA TMO are able to submit a Right to Transfer application on 284 council and leasehold properties in the area, and conduct a ballot of residents on their proposals.

Lambeth Council does not support this proposal, but under the Right to Transfer rules it has no option other than to comply with holding a ballot. We cannot stop the proposal simply because we believe you would be worse off if the transfer proceeds.

Before a ballot can take place, PACCA TMO and Vision Homes must develop an offer document. The document should clearly set out what Vision Homes aims to do to the estate and comparing this with what would happen if the properties’ ownership remained with Lambeth Council. This document was due to be sent out to you before Christmas for consideration.

Following several months of chasing PACCA TMO and Vision Homes on the specifics of their plans and asking straight-forward questions on their proposals, Vision Homes have not provided sufficient information or explanations to meet the requirements set out by the Government. These outstanding issues include:

  • Insufficient information has been provided about whom the company would borrow capital from to fund its promises to you, the length of their loan repayments, and what safeguards are in place if they cannot repay the money borrowed.
  • It is unclear what household repairs and home improvements will be offered to residents. Each tenant should be able identify the works that will be carried out to their home if the transfer goes ahead.
  • The identity and status of your potential new landlord remains unclear.
  • A lack of information as to how tenants, community stakeholders and elected councillors will be selected on to a board that oversees the management of the estate and street properties – and how these members will be chosen in the future.
  • Who is sitting on the shadow board pushing forward this proposal, including information about their relevant experience.
  • A lack of information on other properties and estates managed by Vision Homes, so that tenants have an idea of their track record.

We are disappointed that PACCA TMO and Vision Homes have not been forthcoming with some of these really important questions. We will continue to ask these questions and more information has been requested to finalise the offer document for you to consider. Until then, this means that any ballot on the proposal is now delayed.

We will write to you in the New Year with an update on this proposal and any agreed next steps. We apologise for the delay, but it is important that residents have all the information so that you can make an informed decision.

I wish you and your families all have a happy Christmas break, and a happy New Year. If you have any queries on this proposed transfer, you can contact the Council on a dedicated line: 07565 219058.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr Maria Kay

Cabinet Member for Better Homes and Reducing Homelessness

Drop-in events announced for Lothian estate residents about threatened “stock transfer” of local council homes

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Myatt’s Fields councillors have organised two drop-in events this week for residents on the Lothian estate who want to discuss the threatened “stock transfer” of local council homes to a for profit, private company.

The proposals, if approved by a ballot, could see council tenant homes transferred from Lambeth Council to Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd and PACCA TMO. Earlier this month, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Housing, Councillor Maria Kay, wrote a strongly worded letter to tenants warning these proposals could leave them worse off financially. Local councillors have also raised concerns that leaseholders, owing to national legislation, will be excluded from the ballot, but will have their leases transferred to this private company should tenants vote “yes” to the proposals.

Lothian estate residents can talk to councillors about these issues at two events this week:

Location

St John the Divine community hall, 92 Vassall Road, London, SW9 6JA

Dates

Thursday 24 November, from 7:00pm – 8:30pm.

Saturday 26 November, from 11:00am – 12:30pm.

Lothian estate homes transfer to for-profit company ‘will raise rents’, claims senior councillor.

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Controversial plans by a private for-profit company to take control of a housing estate in Myatt’s Fields have been condemned by Lambeth council’s housing chief.

Rents are likely to rise if Vision Homes, a for-profit company, succeeds in taking over properties on the Lothian estate, according to Cllr Maria Kay, Lambeth’s cabinet member responsible for homelessness and better homes.

In a strongly-worded letter to residents, Cllr Kay says says people who live in the area risk higher rents and service charges if they vote to accept the proposal from Vision Homes which, she claims, has no registered employees and no track record of managing properties.

Vision Homes, working alongside Pacca TMO, which used to run the estate, intends to ballot residents on the proposal in the near future — although no date for the vote has been revealed by the company.

In her letter, Cllr Kay, who has been talking to residents alongside local Councillors Annie Gallop and Paul Gadsby, said Vision Homes has “no registered employees and no track record in owning, developing, or even managing social housing.

“The proposals from Vision Homes could mean you pay more: from your rents and service charges to the repairs and maintenance activities to your homes, as Vision Homes would charge VAT on top of these costs,” she said. “If Vision Homes were to also sell your homes to another company in the future, they will not be required to ballot or obtain consent from the Housing Regulator.”

“It is unclear to me how they will fund the promises they are making to you and your neighbours. Vision Homes’ plans don’t add up, and they do not make financial sense.”

You can read Cllr Kay’s letter here.

Lothian estate residents will be left “worse off” if stock transfer goes ahead

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Secure tenants and leaseholders on the Lothian estate will be “left worse off” should control of their homes pass to a for-profit private company, Lambeth’s Housing Cabinet Member has claimed.

The statement came in an answer to questions submitted by Myatt’s Fields councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop at Lambeth Council’s public meeting on Wednesday 19 October. Residents and local councillors have already voiced their concerns about a ballot that could see PACCA TMO Limited and Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd, a for-profit company take over ownership of the council properties on the Lothian Estate area.

Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd have no track record of running social housing and have been, according to Lambeth Housing Cabinet Member Cllr Maria Kay, “unclear” about how they will fund a list of expensive promises to residents.

Cllr Kay also expressed concerns that if there was a “yes” vote in the ballot, the ownership of homes could be passed by Vision Homes to another owner, without the consent of residents. She also confirmed that leaseholders are excluded by national legislation from taking part in the ballot.

You can read the full text of Cllr Gadsby and Cllr Gallop’s questions at the meeting here, listed under questions four and nineteen.

If you worried or confused about this proposed takeover and want to know more, you can contact your local councillors Paul and Annie here – and give us your views on the proposals here.

A date for the proposed ballot has yet to be set but is likely to be in the next few months. Council tenant and leaseholder properties affected by these proposals are on the following streets:

  • Lothian Road (Dalkeith House, Silverburn House and Bathgate House)
  • Langton Road
  • Frederick Crescent
  • Myatt Road
  • Halsmere Road
  • Patmos Road
  • Tindall Street
  • Elliott Road
  • Cancell Road

Local councillors are urging council tenants to reject plans for a stock transfer attempt on their homes

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Local councillors have urged council tenants on the Lothian estate area (formerly the PACCA TMO area) to reject proposals from a for-profit company to take control of their homes.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has approved an application by PACCA TMO Limited and Vision Homes (Lambeth) Ltd, a for-profit company, to conduct a ballot on the future ownership of the council properties on the Lothian Estate area. If they are successful in the ballot, the homes will be transferred out of the control of the local council and will be run by Vision Homes.

In a letter to council tenants, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Maria Kay, laid out the reasons why residents should be concerned about these proposals and vote no in the upcoming ballot: you can read her letter in full here.

Myatt’s Fields councillors Annie Gallop and Paul Gadsby have backed Cllr Kay’s comments, saying:

“These proposals have already caused a great deal of alarm in the community: we have received numerous communications from residents who are deeply concerned about how this has happened

“If successful, it will be the first time anywhere in the country where a for-profit company has taken control of council homes in this way. Vision Homes (Lambeth) Limited are a “for profit” company with no track record in owning or managing social housing. They will be able to charge residents more for their services and could pass on control of the housing, and the land on which it sits, to another organisation without a ballot.

“Although only council tenants are able to vote in this ballot, leaseholders in the area will have their lease transferred to the for-profit private company in the event of a “yes” vote”. We do think it is very unfair that leaseholders are unable to vote owing to the rules laid down by very badly drawn-up national legislation.

“We urge residents to make sure they vote No, in this important ballot: its outcome will have an impact on the daily lives of everyone in the Lothian estate area.”

A date for the ballot has yet to be set, but is likely to be in the next few months. Council tenant and leaseholder properties affected by these proposals are on the following streets:

  • Lothian Road (Dalkeith House, Silverburn House and Bathgate House)
  • Langton Road
  • Frederick Crescent
  • Myatt Road
  • Halsmere Road
  • Patmos Road
  • Tindall Street
  • Elliott Road
  • Cancell Road

If you worried or confused about this proposed takeover and want to know more, you can contact your local councillors Paul and Annie here – and give us your views on the proposals here.