Ashmole Estate at the Oval transferred

Metropolitan Housing Trust have taken over the Ashmole Estate. The deal with Lambeth Council is supposed to deliver a £40 million regeneration programme.

I was involved in campaigning against this and leafletted the estate several times. The actual vote that passed the deal was 53 per cent in favour on a 64 per cent turnout, if it was a union balloting for action it would have been declared illegal.



It seems from the press release that it was the only way to get the estate up to decent standard. As I have posted before, half of all houses in Lambeth are not decent (and that is according to Lambeth's own figures) and the main ALMO is in financial difficulties.

That is why I argue for a massive injection of funds, tenants taken control of public housing and an residents audit of housing stock stock to determine improvements. No more reliance on ALMOs etc for "improvements", we must take housing back into public ownership and put tenants in control.

• See my manifesto on housing