I am sorry that the questioner has problems getting her repairs done. In fact, the repairs service in Hackney has improved greatly. But I appreciate that things still go wrong. If she pops into my constituency office at 55 Stoke Newington High Street, I am happy to take her details and sort the problem out after the election, if I am fortunate enough to be re-elected
I've been encountering lots of problems of this sort over the last few months when knocking on doors, and some of them are really shocking - the example of Morris Blitz Court in Stoke Newington is foremost in my mind as the most recent case of Hackney Homes and the Council carrying out work without consultation and ignoring what residents actually want to happen.
Of course, while MPs can take up casework, the systematic improvement of Hackney Homes is really the responsibility of the Mayor and the Council. I think the most important thing that an MP can do is to be an independent champion of people who are in the situation that Tuba highlights - not to make excuses for the failures of the organisation, but to challenge it.
As an Independent I would hope to be able to work alongside the council . And lobby where possible. There seems to be a complete lack of accountability and a system where no one person is in charge of particular repairs. There is massive frustration not only because work is not being done but there is no one to communicate with about it . I dont believe this cannot be sorted out
Suzanne Moore Independent .
I'm going to be at something of a disadvantage in most of these discussions because I don't offer many policy-specific guarantees or pledges. What I do offer is something more general and more powerful - I offer to share my influence (including my vote) in Parliament with all the people of Hackney. If this issue is key to Hackney residents (as evidenced by polls and discussions on my website), then it will be something that I take up in Parliament - including but not limited to voting the way Hackney people tell me to vote on housing issues.
That said, I live in a Hackney Homes building myself, which was a victim of the 'decent homes' refurbishment project last year. I say victim because of the incredible lack of consideration for residents which was shown throughout the process, with massive amounts of noise, and incredibly poor communication about what was happening when. I actually ended up without hot water in my own flat for more than three months, while Hackney Council, Hackney Homes, and various contractors and subcontractors, all argued about whose fault it was... all the while nobody showing an interest in actually fixing the problem, only in allocating blame.
So, I think it's safe to say I'd be sympathetic to these kinds of complaints, and as Matt points out below an MP's role in these matters is mostly to liase with the council - I'd be a very willing advocate for residents in such matters.
Denny de la Haye - Independent
getavote.org and
hackneysouth.org.ukHi
Housing answer below.
Best
Darren Caplan
Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington
07956 820145 (m)
darren@hackneyconservatives.com
www.darrencaplan.com
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The Conservatives believe in a family friendly Hackney, with a planning system sympathetic to the needs of growing families.
We’d reward Hackney Council for building more homes by allowing it to keep more of the proceeds from council tax and business rates from new development; and there would be extra incentives to encourage the building of affordable housing. New public housing would be low-rise family homes to alleviate the severe problems of overcrowding, and skyscrapers and tower blocks would be discouraged.
We’d extend mobility and ownership in social housing, by strengthening shared ownership schemes allowing those on low-to-middle incomes to own or part-own their own home.
On the estates, we believe that tenants and leaseholders are paying too much for poor service. Our mayoral candidate Andrew Boff has made it clear the local Conservatives would seek to drive down costs in order to cut service charges and the burden of major works.
Finally, we have exciting policies for those who want to buy homes. We want to make it easier for first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder by committing to abolish stamp duty on all properties less than £250,000 (benefiting nine out of ten first time buyers). And we would abolish Labour’s Home Information Packs, which most people agree are an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy for anyone trying to sell their homes.
I too have been shocked by some of the stories that residents in estates run by Hackney Homes have been telling us. It sounds like the system needs a complete overhaul, and much more investment. I would work very closely with the Council, to follow through on the Green Party's commitment to warm, safe, healthy homes for everyone.
Polly Lane
Green Party Candidate for Hackney South & Shoreditch
The conditions of some housing in Hackney are dreadful. Of all the casework I deal with as a Candidate, housing issues - particularly repair issues - are top of the list.
I personally don't think it's fair for Diane Abbott to to say that the repair service in Hackney has improved greatly as it implies the service is acceptable.
There's a sense of helplessness that accompanies individual cases that have been raised with me. I've got three on my desk at the moment - one from a tenant on Morris Blitz Court, one from a tenant on the Woodberry Down Estate, and one from a Stoke Newington tenant who's had repair problems continuing for over seven years now, with nothing done about it. These people have given up trying to 'work the system' themselves to get repairs done.
Casework can only go so far though as it's trying to solve the problem after the fact when tenants and leaseholders shouldn't need to call on their MP, Councillor or whoever to intervene. Landlords of any ilk need to take their responsibilities seriously and the MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington needs to be holding landlords to account and challenging the system when it fails so many people.
Darren Caplan
Geoffrey G J Payne
Keith Angus
getavote
Hackney Citizen
Matt Sellwood
Diane Abbott
suzanne moore
LindsayHermes
Polly Lane
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