The right wing onslaught is in full flow, and not just from extremists in Norway:
The Republican Tea Party are unwavering in their desire to destroy the world economy for the sack of tax and spending cuts targetted at the rich and poor respectively (if respectively is the right word to use).
Oil companies are poised to make record profits as supply stalls while demand grows. I wonder how much profit will go in taxes?
Gollys are on sale in East Kent amid Daily Mail style comments on the Kent Messenger website claiming that they are not racist.
Homelessness has risen 40% in one year in Kent. This from BBC and this is on the KM website. Again some of the comments are appalling - this time quite racist.
Depressing stuff. The future has to be cooperation and compassion, not cuts and competition. It's an easy narrative and the only one that holds any promise.
Green Party campaigner in Kent. Also a nurse, academic, former manager, writer, Druid, husband and father...
Showing posts with label empty homes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label empty homes. Show all posts
Friday, 29 July 2011
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Empty Homes in Maidstone
Wrote to the leaders of the LibDems and Tories in Maidstone yesterday calling for action on empty homes. I discovered a couple of weeks back that there are 1610 empty homes in the borough (twice as high as 2006), the council has a target to bring 38 back into use each year, has not issued any Empty Dwellings Management Orders and there are over 2000 people waiting for social housing (three times more than 10 years ago).
Of course the building of new houses has also collapsed with the recession (I opposed the increased targets backed by the Tories and LibDems, but always accepted the original and more moderate levels as necessary). MBC needs to take urgent action...
Dear Councillors Garland and Wilson,
Despite the Empty Homes Strategy being agreed last year the number of empty homes has risen further with April 2008 double the 2006 figure. The number of households awaiting social housing has increased three fold over the last 10 years, yet the council does not seem to be exercising its powers to bring empty homes back into use - no Empty Homes Management Orders have been issued.
There are around 1600 empty homes with perhaps a third empty for more than 6 months. House building is grinding to a halt with the recession, so urgent action is needed to make the most of properties that are empty.
Please could you take action to reduce the social housing need and bring more empty homes back into use.
Stuart Jeffery
Green Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald
Of course the building of new houses has also collapsed with the recession (I opposed the increased targets backed by the Tories and LibDems, but always accepted the original and more moderate levels as necessary). MBC needs to take urgent action...
Dear Councillors Garland and Wilson,
Despite the Empty Homes Strategy being agreed last year the number of empty homes has risen further with April 2008 double the 2006 figure. The number of households awaiting social housing has increased three fold over the last 10 years, yet the council does not seem to be exercising its powers to bring empty homes back into use - no Empty Homes Management Orders have been issued.
There are around 1600 empty homes with perhaps a third empty for more than 6 months. House building is grinding to a halt with the recession, so urgent action is needed to make the most of properties that are empty.
Please could you take action to reduce the social housing need and bring more empty homes back into use.
Stuart Jeffery
Green Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald
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