Camden Islington & West End - News Reviews Listings

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Friday 21st October, 2005

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By TOM FOOT

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I was right over Almo claims Raj

TENANTS and leaseholders have been warned that the long-running campaign to make the government pay for repairs to council properties will run for another three years at least.
Labour councillor Raj Chada, who will become the next leader of Camden Council next month told a meeting of residents on Thursday night that the wait for investment would go on.
Ministers have pulled the plug on millions of pounds of funding since tenants voted against plans to switch control of homes to a new board known as an Arms-Length Management Organisation (Almo).
Speaking at a general meeting of the Camden Association of Street Properties (Casp), Cllr Chada told residents that he had always been in favour of an Almo but he was hamstrung by the public vote.
He said: “I was very unpopular at the time because I said the Almo was the right option. For the price we would pay, I thought it made sense. Homes have to come up to the Decent Homes standard. There isn’t enough money to do that because the Almo was rejected.
“Public funds are tied up for the next three years so nothing will happen anytime soon.”
His comments are a slight departure from the stance taken by the Holborn and St Pancras Labour party branch at the recent conference in Brighton which saw members stand up to the government and insist that the tenants were right.

Give power to the people

POST-war, early 1950s Britain was still experiencing food rationing and was a disillusioning place for English gourmands. The war had destroyed the restaurant trade and, with few exceptions, post-war eateries made the worst of a bad situation.
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