16:15 PM, 22nd July 2011, About 15 years ago 2
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"Councillors want to buy rundown buy to lets"
The plan is for Newham Council, East London, to buy and let the homes to improve housing standards – and to make a killing on capital appreciation as well.
The council is banking on cheap borrowing rates offered to local councils to underpin the scheme, but throw the deal open to private and institutional investors.
The scheme depends on the outcome of financial negotiations with the government ministers. No details of how the scheme would work and how much investment would be needed to refurbish and manage property are not finalised.
Blackpool Council had a similar scheme on a smaller scale that recently failed. The council bought property worth £2.7 million with the intention of renovating and letting them as homes only to run out of money – the portfolio was sold to a housing association for £3.
The council area that has benefitted from investment billions generated by the new London Olympic 2012 stadiums and infrastructure.
Newham has an estimated 35,000 buy to let and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and the council claims tenant turnover rates are 60% compared with just 5% for social housing.
Councillors are formulating a social lettings allocation policy that pushes employed people ahead of those on benefits in queues for social housing.
Sir Robin Wales, Newham’s directly elected mayor, told Inside Housing magazine: “It is clear to us that we have to stabilise the private sector or we will just become a transit camp. That’s why we want to invest – there is a logic driving us.
“We want to purchase property in the private sector and run our own private rented sector. That way we can have longer tenure. That is a big issue for me.”
Sir Robin added that buying private properties would increase the council’s options for housing people on benefits.
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10:30 AM, 28th July 2011, About 15 years ago
another legalised con by the council to get money out of the government funds , the answer is in the question council buys property and gets cheep funds then hands to housing association , your answer . they also want to buy the properties you and me are struggling to keep updated to keep let they will hand these to housing associations also its just another way to get their grubby hands on what’s not theirs and sell on making out the money has ran out.
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18:45 PM, 28th July 2011, About 15 years ago
Is there no end to council/councillors corruption anyone with half a brain can see through that little scheme
How meny of them have a interest in the housing associations