Speech at Unite Training Event by Margaret Mullane
March 21, 2016
My name is Margaret Mullane and I am a Councillor in Village Ward Dagenham. I
am going to talk today about the importance of Regeneration of flatted Estates,
as opposed to selling public land to Property Developers.
Amongst the many crises which face our country under this government, one
stands out as the most pressing. The evidence can be found in those sleeping on
the streets or young children crammed into temporary accommodation. I
believe the biggest crisis we face, without a shadow of a doubt, is the lack of
affordable housing. What do we consider affordable in these times of
ideologically driven cuts? What do we consider affordable when people are
choosing between heating or eating? It seems we have an elephant in the
room, a case that too many are wary of making and that is the crying need for
Council housing.
I have seen the devastation that Tory Austerity has caused, so for me it’s an
ideological case that needs to be fought by the left. Cash strapped Councils look
to their land in their Boroughs, and with rising property prices see an answer to
their problems. Sell the land to Property developers; they might be able to
extract some so called affordable housing if the Developers are feeling
generous. But often these are properties that are not affordable to buy or rent.
The land is then gone, and if that isn’t tragic enough, the communities that live
in the area cannot afford to live there.
I am going to say something potentially unpopular now… elected Councillors
need to be braver, bolder, and stand up to elected Council Officers, Chief
Executives, and Regeneration Departments. These people have not been elected
by the local communities; Councillors have and they are best placed to represent
them. It is in fact their duty to do so – their duty.
In the ward I represent, an Estate was to be regenerated. Now at that time, had
we sold the Land it would have gone for at least a million but we would have lost
the Council properties we are now building and our local community would have
disappeared, replaced by those able to privately rent at a sky high prices. That
land now, at a conservative guess, is worth five million but Phase One of the
homes for local people will be ready this year. We could have filled the Estate a
thousand times over. Make no mistake about it.
We have had to fight to get council properties there. Without casting aspersions
some officers have a Conservative outlook, and see nothing wrong in replacing
Council properties with private properties, part-buy part-rent, they have no
ideological objection but here’s the difference; we should and we do. People over
profit every time. The people who voted for us.
We must not make an offer to working class communities of regeneration, that
doesn’t include them. People often ask why many people don’t vote any-more?
Why are people considering UKIP? There is an obvious connection here… If a flat
to rent costs £1300.00 to rent what part of that is affordable? There is genuine
alienation occurring. As parents walk to schools and community leisure
facilities, they see new estates being built but know they or their family will
never live there. And yet we wonder why they feel alienated.
Elected Councillors must recognise this and when Council officers or a Chief
Executive proposes an idea that will alienate a community and is frankly
reducing equality and social mobility, the councillors must stand up and be
counted. Don’t fall in love with slogans and language that’s covering up what the
offer is…
Profits before people. Estate renewal often uses language such as “growth
opportunity”, “right vision” or “major transformation”. My rule is to ask in
all cases… for whom? NOT for the people I am elected to serve and I will
always put those people before profits.
Regeneration not Gentrification.
Contact your elected Councillors and tell them we want Council Housing.
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