Action For Housing Letter To Minister Linares
Action for Housing have issued a public letter sent to the Minister for Housing:
During question time in Parliament, Action for Housing was the subject of debate between you and the shadow Minister for Housing. The main topics of discussion were whether you reply to our letters or not, and the availability or non-availability of Government rental flats.
On the first issue you said that you always answer our letters. Our reply to you is that you do most of the time but not always. You did not reply to our open letter of 26th October 2022, for example. On the question of whether the Government has enough flats for rental to meet the needs of those on the waiting list, during the course of a GBC radio programme last April you said that the Government had enough housing stock. But at the conclusion of the programme you said that enough stock would be available once the low-cost flats became available.
When I asked you whether you had enough housing to accommodate those on the waiting list, I was referring to the present. Your reply was based on a future projection involving three or four years, or maybe even longer. And in Parliament you have, only a few days ago, incurred in the same contradiction. You said that Government is confident that there are enough houses in the current housing stock to meet the needs of the community. But then you said that once all the affordable homes have been built, those prioritised to purchase will be releasing a number of rental homes which will go a long way to tackle those who are in real need of Government accommodation. In other words, at present you do not have enough housing stock. As you had previously revealed in Parliament, you had 11 flats available for allocation, 18 being refurbished, 40 properties which are beyond repair and which will be put out to tender and 92 properties which form part of the urban renewal project. For the sake of correctness and clarity the proper way to explain the current situation should have been to say that at present you do not have enough housing stock but that you will in the future once those who have purchased release Government flats.
There are other important issues which have been pending and which we would like you to give us an update.
Where and when will you construct the workers’ hostel which you announced in late summer 2020?
When we met on the 5th October 2021, you said that the amendments to the Housing Act would be ready by the end of 2021 and we would be invited to have sight of the Command Paper. Almost a year later and this has not been the case. When will this happen?
In your 2015 Manifest, you said that new homes were to come on stream for those applicants who would prefer to stay on the waiting list. And again in your 2019 Manifesto, you said that there was likely to be a need to build more rental stock for the Government, both for the elderly and for the general list. Why have you not complied with these Manifesto commitments?
In answer to criticisms made by the Ombudsman regarding the lack of transparency, you said during the course of a radio programme that your department was in the process of producing a booklet which would set down all the policies involving Government rental accommodation. As far as we can tell this has not materialised, or has it?
Now that all the so-called affordable flats have been sold, do you know how many Government flats will be released to Government to accommodate those on the waiting list?
Given that there are a number of important issues which are of public interest, we think it would be a good idea to share a radio programme where we would be able to discuss these matters in a constructive and informative manner.
As in previous occasions we are making this letter public.
Yours faithfully,
Henry Pinna
Action for Housing
