the biggest attempted privatisation of local authority assets in UK history

Gordon Peters of Haringey Green Party and Stop the Haringey Development Vehicle Campaign writes below to mobilise people to support the judicial challenge to Haringey Council and the march on 23 September. This is becoming a London wide issue. It is thought that Camden Council are considering a similar setup. There will be a meeting hosted by Sian Berry in Camden Town Hall to discuss that on Tuesday Aug. 8 at 6.30. Find out more about the Haringey campaign at https://www.facebook.com/2billionpoundgamble/  and http://stophdv.com/.

Please spread this far and wide!

Anne Gray

Gordon Peters says....

  Update on the Stop HDV campaign:

 A Judicial Review of this is being filed in the High Court this week [by 4 August] on the grounds of it not having been consulted on, nor   even having gone to a full Council, on equalities impact not having been adequately considered, and on the risk to public finances not being made transparent or explained. There was a successful crowdfunding campaign which along with local collections and donations has raised  £25,000 towards legal costs. The last update on this is on <www.crowdjustice.org/case/stop-hdv>. The campaign is a broad coalition of forces including both constituency Labour parties, LibDems, Greens, trades unions, community organisations, residents' and leaseholders' associations. Despite this the ‘red Tory’ Labour Cabinet led by Claire Kober, who also is chair of London Councils, are determined to go ahead with the £2 billion transfer of the local authority’s Council estates, land and property including over 500 business units to a partnership with Lendlease. We believe however they cannot sign any contracts while this in legal dispute and a hearing could be any time through the autumn.

September is a critical month in linking this — the biggest attempted privatisation of local authority assets in UK history — with the various similar attempts at social cleansing and depriving ordinary people of their rights to housing across London in favour of corporate developer-led ‘’regeneration’’. We are aware particularly of what Lendlease has done in Southwark, of the Cressingham Gardens campaign in Lambeth, and of new developments in Tower Hamlets, and possibly Camden, and in most cases in Labour-controlled authorities. We wish to mobilise with groups such as the Radical Housing Network, ASH, Defend Council Housing, those demanding justice for Grenfell in K and C, and others to build a fightback across London sufficient to turn the tide against these ‘’regenerations’’ which are attacking the very lives of our communities.

StopHDV is calling a march on Saturday 23 September in Haringey which will have key speakers from elsewhere as well and we want as many as possible from across the capital to join. First details below:

The plan so far is to assemble on Saturday 23rd September at around noon at Tottenham Green (150 yards up the hill from Seven Sisters Tube station), then march from 1pm to assemble around 2.30 - 3  at Finsbury Park.  The route should take us past Seven Sisters up West Green Road along Green Lanes to Finsbury Park. Depending on consent from the authorities, we may have to reverse the route and start at Finsbury Park.

 

Finsbury Park is by two tube stations (Manor House and Finsbury Park.). It is also where Haringey, Hackney and Islington meet and not far from the Camden borders. No local Spurs match that day  (they'll be playing at Wembley) and no Arsenal one either, so no congestion on transport from football crowds.  

 

The start and end points should make it fairly easy for most of London to get to and from. It just needs building across London. Please tell your contacts!

Any comments/suggestions you have would be most welcome. If we all work together we should be able to build a sizeable march that could get publicity in the weekend before Labour Party conference, when a motion on Social Cleansing is being debated.