• CAMDEN this week began to decide the future of 31 Daleham Gardens, the council-owned and maintained property in Frognal & Fitzjohns ward that was destroyed in a fire last year, which resulted in the loss of a life.

There were three social homes in the building. We stood for different parties in the ward earlier this year, but we’re agreed that it’s vital that Camden guarantees that these will be replaced on a like-for-like basis in any future development on the site.

Frognal & Fitzjohns has the lowest amount of social housing in Camden. Only 7 per cent of properties are social rented, compared with 33 per cent of properties borough-wide.

And this tiny stock of social housing is declining. According to census data, the amount of social rented housing in the ward fell by 37 per cent between 2001 and 2011: more than double the loss of any other ward in Camden.

This loss has been exacerbated by Camden’s recent approach of selling off its properties to private developers. In May this year, it announced the sale of Branch Hill house care home in Frognal & Fitzjohns, resulting in the loss of over 50 affordable care beds.

This follows the decision in 2014 to sell off Wells Court in Hampstead village, which had provided sheltered housing since the 1970s.

This is changing the social fabric and local community character of our neighbourhood: where replacement accommodation is provided, rarely is it in Hampstead. There is also a human cost, with long waiting times for social housing, forcing many to live in poor quality temporary accommodation.

Given this, and the difficulties in achieving the building of new social housing, the council must do everything it can to maintain its existing social housing stock.

This should be something that all parties are able to agree on. Labour’s manifesto for the 2018 elections promised that it was “determined to build more council housing”.

Likewise, the Conservative manifesto made clear that it would oppose the loss of affordable housing and named several sites in NW3 where the party had opposed the loss of affordable housing.

That is why, although we stood for different parties in Frognal & Fitzjohns in the elections in May, we are united in calling on the council to save this vitally important social housing.

CLLR ANDREW PARKINSON
Conservative, Frognal & Fitzjohns ward

REBECCA SHIRAZI
Vice-Chair Campaigns Hampstead & Kilburn Labour