Text of maiden speech by new Councillor Billy McAllister at Thursday 23rd February 2006 Full Council on SNP motion (with accepted SSP amendment) on housing stock transfer.SSP and the newly independent (ex Liberal) Councillor voted for the SNP motion; Liberals, Tory and Labour voted against.
"My Lord Provost, Councillors, thank you for the welcome.Four years have passed since tenants voted to transfer ownership of their homes to the GHA.
Tenants were persuaded to do so by promises of repairs and investment made by senior Labour and Liberal politicians, including the administration of this Council.
Those promises have not been fulfilled for tenants – like me – who live in GHA flats and tenements.
Currently the GHA has classed one third of its stock as “future review”, “regeneration project” or “demolition”.
Those homes are all stuck in a no investment black hole.
We were told there would be “Better Homes, and Stronger Communities”
We were told the GHA would be “Tenant Led and Tenant Controlled”
We were told there would be new kitchens and bathrooms for all.
The reality was seen in the Milton By Election, where one elderly Lambhill woman living in her own had been without heating or hot water since before Christmas.
The GHA had ignored her repair requests – she was in the wrong category of house.
Every Councillor in this chamber could repeat the horror stories.
The GHA is so bad it has managed the impossible – it has made the old Glasgow City Housing look good!
Four years ago, the Council Leader at the time, Charlie Gordon, wrote an article in the Key Newsletter sent to every tenant.With a headline of “Council Leader Backs GHA Plan”, he said:
"Four years after transfer, every tenant will have a guaranteed warm, dry and centrally heated home."Four years on, tenants in multis and deck entries find their homes ridden with dampness and spores.
[http://www.gha.org.uk/key23/2_councilleaders.htm]Mike Dailly of the Govan Law Centre said last year:
“In Govan and Ibrox we have a dozen multi-storey flats where tenants living typically on £60 a week or so regularly spend at least £20 on heating.I say – it is not a political defence either.Even then their homes are still cold, freezing & damp.
The high rise flats suffer from water penetration due to their construction and the lack of structural maintenance.
The walls soak up water like sponges making it impossible to avoid the presence of dampness and mould growth.
The GHA Ltd says it will not carry out major repairs because it might or might not knock these buildings down within 10 years.
Dithering over the future of the multis in Glasgow is not a legal defence for failing to carry out repairs.”
[http://www.shelligoe.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/smgr/legal.pdf]Flats in Milton have the same problems.
Is that not a shocking state of affairs in this day and age?
The GHA’s plan now says they:
“aim to balance the commitments given to tenants at transfer against the potential for wasteful expenditure in properties that may be demolished soon after.”Balance the commitments?
[http://www.gha.org.uk/content/mediaassets/doc/Draft_Business_Plan_0607.pdf]Those were promises, guarantees, in public statements made by Scottish Ministers and by this Administration while tenants were voting on the transfer proposal.
Four years ago, the GHA said only 11,000 homes would not have a long term sustainable life.
But after the transfer, when it became time to consider actually spending money, the GHA decided to add an extra 30,000 homes to the list that would not receive investment.
And it is precisely those homes that needed the investment so urgently.
The better quality houses already had a long term future.
Charlie Gordon was at it again three years ago. He said in a press release:"Tenants voted for the transfer last April and I can assure tenants that the promises made at the ballot remain a key part of the transfer."So much for the promises.
[http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2003/03/3241]Tenants in Glasgow have noticed the betrayal.
Their anger at that played a major part in the election result last week.
It will play a major part across Glasgow in 2007.
The Labour Party of the past, such as Housing Bill author John Wheatley and Health and Housing Minister Nye Bevan, helped take Glaswegians out of some of the worlds worst slum housing conditions into decent homes.
My own family were included in that.
But the Labour Party of the present day is undoing their work, and putting working class families back into private rented houses.
Mass demolitions and clearance are the rule throughout the Canal zone – with private housing replacing social rented homes.
John Wheatley will be turning in his grave.
But the people of Milton have stood up against this.
Glasgow as a whole will follow.
And we will overcome.
Traditional Socialist Labour values are back to stay in this City.
Thank you."