Thursday, May 18, 2006

Leeds City Council to go ahead with PFI - 500 residents ignored

Despite a 500 strong petition from tenants and residents, the total opposition of the Little London Tenants and Residents Association (LLTRA) Commitee and Save Little London Campaign, and huge support from neighboring communities, yesterday's Council Executive meeting took the disgraceful - yet unsurprising - decision to go ahead with its PFI regeneration scheme in Little London.

At 10.15am outside Leeds Civic Hall, the LLTRA committee were being interviewed by TV and radio. It was good-natured and despite knowing the Council had already made its mind up, an air of optimism remained. The residents' representatives - all of whom live in Little London unlike the Councillors and officers 'regenerating them' - then went inside to present a 500-strong petition to Cllr Andrew Carter (Tory), Joint Leader of Leeds City Council and executive cllr for housing. They had expected Lib Dem leader, Cllr Mark Harris.

Handing over the petition, Laurean Slattie, chair of LLTRA committee, demanded that Leeds City Council "listen to the wishes of more than a third of the estate and shelve plans to force hundreds out of their own homes". Cllr Carter responded that he and other executive members would of course take their wishes into consideration - and then for the next 20 minutes did precisely the opposite as he lectured, hectored, and, at times, blatently lied to an increasingly irate association.

It was fantastic stuff - tenants standing up to a bully and putting him in squarely in his place. Each myth about the PFI that Carter launched at the group, they threw back with double measure. He said "my hands are tied - PFI is the only way I can get £90m to regenerate your estate". Tenants countered that the estate "didn't need £90m spent on repairs", it was the PFI that was inflating the cost by proposing vast regeneration plans that weren't needed or demanded by the community. They asked why Leeds City Council didn't rebel against PFI financing to which the council leader had no answer other than the weak "we've asked central government for the money and they said no".

Carter argued that the consultation showed people did want it - the tenants countered that 63% of tenants "did not support it" and that the consultation was "biased" and "misinformed people". Carter argued that Independent Tenant's Advisors had verified the consultation as "fair". Tenants replied that the same company was hardly independent as it was employed by Leeds City Council and yet had still criticised the council's handling of the process.

The debate went on and on, and became increasingly heated as tenants began to find their voices in unity and became more confident that Cllr Carter didn't actually know what he was talking about. Carter in turn resorted to more and more arrogant and dishonest statements about the PFI scheme. He claimed it "was not privatisation". Tenants immediately pointed out that the plan involved the direct sale of 3 huge towers blocks to the private sector. Carter corrected himself - "the rest will remain in Leeds City Council's ownership - we will still be your landlord". Tenants said that this was "unnecessary privatisation of council services" and profits made could have instead been invested in the area. Carter replied there is "nothing wrong with making a profit".

And on and on it went until Cllr Carter made two statements that will later come back to haunt him. The first was that he "guaranteed that there would be no more sell-offs in the PFI plan" - only the three Lovell blocks would be leased off to the private sector. Second, when reminded that he "worked for us and that we paid his wages", he retorted, "I don't work for you, you don't employ me, I work for Leeds City Council".

The meeting then turned farcical when Labour Cllr for Kirkstall, Bernard Atha, suddenly showed up to lend his support for the tenants and criticise the consultation process. Cllr Carter responded with heated comments and the two almost had to be separated when Cllr Atha made accusations of vote rigging and corruption during the recent local elections. Tenants watched on in amazement that their meeting with the Council leader was being sidetracked by this pathetic display of power politics. All of this was captured by the local media who couldn't believe their good fortune.

After a photo session with the Yorkshire Evening Post, the tenants and councillors parted company.

At 12.30pm, more tenants from Little London joined a large crowd outside the civic hall to protest against the Council's plans to go ahead with the PFI scheme, and also a ludicrous scheme to build a car park on part of Woodhouse Moor. Residents chanted "hands off our homes" as BBC Radio Leeds broadcast live from millennium square, followed by Calendar news.

At 1pm, 30 people sat in on the Executive meeting to hear the decision. First, the Executive thew out plans for the car park on Woodhouse Moor, citing strong community opposition. Cllr Carter the introduced the item on Little London. As each Cllr spoke, it was obvious that no one would oppose it. At the same time, it was clear that the Council knew they had not won the argument as they kept repeating that "there hands were tied". One Cllr insulted those present by saying that Little London had "problem people" living there and the PFI was a way of effectively getting rid of them.

A Labour Cllr supported the PFI scheme but expressed considerable concern at the way in which the consultation had been carried out, and the fact that tenants in the Lovell tower blocks had shown opposition to the plans.

In response, Cllr Carter made an interesting promise to investigate the possibilities in relation to the three Lovell Tower blocks as under the PFI proposal, this would be a separate contract. This is, however, more than likely just a political gesture to save face and dampen opposition with no possible basis given that the whole purpose of the scheme is to create a "mixed community" with wealthier people being sought to take up private lets in the tower blocks.

And then, the item was passed. As tenants left the chamber, one shouted "So that's it then, that's our homes gone?". Another said: "See you all in court".

This is not the end. It is the end of the beginning.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Little London tenants prepare to lobby council for crunch decision

It's decision time again for Little London - and we will be there to say 'no' to PFI.

This coming Wednesday, (17 May), tenants of Little London will gather outside the Civic Hall to demand that Leeds City Council immediately suspends its privatisation plans for their estate that will see 435 council homes sold off or demolished and hundreds of tenants forced to leave their homes and community.

The lobby has been called to pressure the monthly Council Executive meeting (1pm) at which Councillors will decide whether to or not to go ahead with an £85m Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme - called the 'Comprehensive Regeneration Option' – to redesign the area and build hundreds of private houses and flats for wealthier city workers.

Anywhere between 450 and 800 tenants, some who have lived in the area for as long as 80 years, will be forced to leave their homes to enable private developers to make £millions in profit. The Council has refused to guarantee that tenants forced out of their existing homes will be rehoused in the estate.

Contrary to Leeds City Council's misinformation campaign, tenants and residents of Little London have NOT backed the PFI scheme. There has been no ballot and despite enduring a completely biased consultation process in favour of the PFI scheme, 63% of tenants in Little London refused to endorse the Council's plans. This is backed by a petition circulated by the Little London Tenants & Residents Association (LLTRA) and signed by more than 500 residents – around a third of the estate - that opposes any demolitions or the sale of properties that would force people out of their own community.

Steve Skinner, a council tenant and member of Save Little London campaign:

"Leeds City Council pretends it wants to regenerate council housing yet it is going to get rid of 310 council homes in Little London and 10,000 across the city. It says it has 'consulted' the community yet since 2000, Little London has been effectively blackmailed by the Council in an appalling undemocratic process. From ignored ballots to biased information, to bare-faced lies in public meetings, the Council has completely abused its power to rail road this back door privatisation through. What people need to ask is - who benefits from privatising tower blocks and bulldozing homes? Is it poor working class families local to Leeds, or wealthy city workers and private property developers? I think we all know the answer."

An alternative option, the more modest £20m Decent Homes scheme, would bring homes on the estate up to the government's minimum standard without reducing the council housing stock or evicting local residents. Despite this, it is expected that Wednesday's Council Executive will decide to ignore opposition and go ahead with the Comprehensive Regeneration Option. Council officers last week admitted that they had already put the PFI bid in, subject to formal approval. However, tenants are not going to lie down and die quietly.

An alliance of residents plan to lodge a formal complaint with both the Local Government Ombudsmen and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has ultimate responsibility for council house regeneration. Individual tenants are also beginning private legal proceedings.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Leeds City Council...Hands off our Homes. Public meeting, 10 May

Tenants and anti-privatisation campaigners are joining forces this Wednesday (10 May) to put on a city-wide public meeting to oppose Leeds City Council's proposed 'Comprehensive Regeneration of Little London estate and its wider systematic decimation of council housing through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

Organised by the Save Little London Campaign, the meeting takes place at Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre, Leeds University, at 7pm, and will be addressed by, amongst others, Andrew Coley, vice-chair of Little London Tenants and Residents Association, John McDermott, Leeds UNISON, and John Illingworth, Labour councillor for Kirkstall.

The meeting has been called in advance of this month's (17 May) Council Executive meeting, where elected councillors are expected to ignore the 63% of local tenants and residents who don't support its plans and rubber stamp the City Council's plans to go ahead with the PFI regeneration scheme in the Little London inner-city estate, subject to government approval in September 2006.

Campaigners aim to raise awareness about the true costs of the proposed PFI scheme that will see the net loss of 310 council homes and the forced removal of 100s of people from the neighbourhood. It will also expose the shameful undemocratic consultation process that the Council has inflicted on residents over the past 5 years.

In March 2001, the Little London and Woodhouse area was balloted on an initial PFI scheme - 54% voted 'no' on a huge 67% turnout. For Leeds City Council, however, this was the "wrong result" so they discarded Woodhouse where the majority of no votes had come from, sent Little London residents more biased consultation material and then reballoted just a few months later. This time, they got a 'yes' vote but almost half of tenants eligible to vote did not do so (46%), giving the PFI scheme no real democratic mandate.

Five years later, however, and due to Leeds City Council's delayed PFI scheme in Swarcliffe, nothing has happened, forcing the Council to consult Little London residents again. In February, after a two week process, the Council announced the results to the media (before it informed tenants and stakeholders). 'LITTLE LONDON RESIDENTS BACK £85M REGENERATION SCHEME' read the Council's press release.

Campaigners argue, however, that 63% tenants and residents of Little London have NOT backed the PFI scheme as 40% did not return their preference slips, and of those who did, only 37% of residents said they preferred 'Comprehensive Regeneration' (PFI) compared to 21% who said they preferred Decent Homes (a £20m scheme to bring homes up to a minimum standard).

Banks of the Wear, the ‘Independent Tenants Advisor’ during the consultation could not hide their criticism of the Council, stating that "the process was hampered…by the lack of timely information being produced, and departures from the agreed and understood process".

The report into the consultation by Banks of the Wear also shows just how confused tenants were by the Council’s questionnaire. Many people who will be kicked out of their homes under Comprehensive Regeneration strangely opted for demolition and thus eviction – but also stated that they wanted to ‘stay in Little London’?!?!?

Andrew Coley, vice-chair of Little London Tenants and Residents Association, said ahead of the meeting:

"All along we have told Leeds City Council that we welcome £85m of new investment in Little London, but it has to benefit all of the tenants and residents, not just some. The Tenants and Residents Association has compiled a dossier detailing all of the flaws and abuses of the consultation process. The report of the Independent Tenant's Advisor was also very critical of it. Based on results that showed a majority of people in the Lovell flats didn’t want to lose their homes, we recommended changes if the PFI proposals were to go ahead. It was forwarded to LCC and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) nearly two months ago. Neither organisation has yet to respond to our objections."

Steve Skinner from the Save Little London Campaign remains defiant:

"From the beginning, tenants of Little London have been blackmailed by the Council in an appalling undemocratic process. From ignored ballots to biased information, to bare-faced lies in public meetings, the Council has completely abused its power to rail road this back door privatisation through. Now they are saying that the community backs the scheme - this is utter nonsense. We were ‘consulted’ on two 'lousy' options to improve homes and the area, and asked to give a ‘preference’ for one of them, not a vote. The fact is that 63% of people haven't backed the PFI scheme. What people need to ask is - who benefits from privatising tower blocks and bulldozing homes? Is it poor working class families local to Leeds, or wealthy city workers and private property developers? I think we all know the answer. But we know we can still stop this if the hundreds of people opposed to the PFI were to get involved in the campaign".

Save Little London campaign will expose the totally biased information given to tenants that emphasised all the negative aspects of the Decent Homes option and all the positive aspects of the PFI scheme, as well as the failure to mention to a large number of residents that they would be forced to leave Little London under Comprehensive Regeneration.

Across Leeds, similar processes are under way, like in Beeston and Holbeck Hill, and Seacroft. There are also other unpopular developments taking place, such as the proposed car park on Woodhouse Moor and the proposed Eastgate regeneration.

That is why campaigners have called this city-wide public event ahead of the Council Executive's monthly meeting: to bring together tenants and residents from affected areas with Defend Council Housing, local trade unions, supportive councillors, grassroots activists, university researchers and sympathetic journalists, so as to raise the political profile of PFI, council house sell-offs and "regeneration" in our city, spread information to more people and create a stronger coalition of people to fight back.

----------------

1. The public meeting takes place from 7pm-9pm, Wednesday 10 May, Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre, Leeds University - click for map. It has been called by Save Little London, and is supported by Leeds Defend Council Housing, Leeds UNISON and the Autonomous Geographies action research project at Leeds University.

2. There will be a lobby of the Council on Wednesday 17 May starting 12.30pm outside Leeds Civic Hall. Campaigners from Little London will march from Little London Community Centre at 12pm to Leeds Civic Hall to unveil a giant banner.

Little London Tenants speak out

Little London Tenants and Residents Association Committee has issued a press release condemned the Council's decision to further stall the decision on the PFI process. Here it is in full:

21st April 2006

TENANTS IN LIMBO WHILE COUNCIL STALL

While Leeds City Council drags its feet the Community in Little London becomes ever more angry, frustrated and fearful.

“We were originally told it was imperative that Leeds City Council makes its decision on the future of our homes by April, now we’ve found out it has been put on the back burner until May.”
Andrew Coley Vice Chair LLTRA

Back in February the entire neighbourhood was asked if it wanted a Comprehensive Regeneration Scheme, funded by Private Finance Initiative (PFI) money. It was promised £80 million would be pumped into the estate but mean over 800 people having to be re-housed – most of whom said they wanted to stay within the community.

“The people I’m really concerned about are the ones who have been told they may lose their homes. It’s like waiting for the axe to fall. They can’t make any plans, whether it’s bothering redecorating their homes or worrying if the kids will have their education disrupted by having to move to a new school.”
LLTRA Committee Member, Alan Ridsdale.

LLTRA have compiled a dossier about the consultation. The report was very critical of the consultation process and, based on results that showed a majority of people in the Lovell flats didn’t want to lose their homes, recommended changes if the PFI proposals were to go ahead. It was forwarded to LCC and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) almost a month ago. Neither organisation has yet responded to the dossier.

“One of our criticisms was that the tight timescale meant Tenant representatives were denied a chance to fully endorse the consultation. LCC said the timescale was so tight because the ODPM demanded a decision by April. Now suddenly they’ve extended the process by another four weeks. Some of us are wondering how they can change the size of the goalposts when it suits them, but not us the tenants.”
Andrew Coley Vice Chair LLTRA

“Now that LCC have put off making their decision until May I just hope they make use of this extra time wisely. They need to take into account what the people of our Community really need and want, not just to rubber stamp a proposal that’s there just to encourage the developers and money men.”
LLTRA Secretary Margaret Spink

“Throughout this whole PFI farce the Council have messed us about. After five years, two votes and this latest consultation, it’s all becoming a bit of a fiasco.”
Long standing Committee Member Frank Pullan

LCC have stated a decision on the regeneration of Little London will be made at the Councils Executive on 17th May.

Little London Tenants & Residents Association will be available for a photo-op by arrangement.