SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit Press Release:
15/12/05
SSP: “People power defeats Edinburgh housing stock transfer"
Scottish Socialist Party national convenor and Lothians MSP Colin Fox today paid respect to the “magnificent” campaign against Edinburgh council house stock transfer saying that “the giant has been slain by the people, this is a victory for people power”. Colin also demanded two things following this result;
1) City housing chief Sheila Gilmore must now consider her position having spent years championing the cause of stock transfer
2) The billion pounds that was dangled as a carrot in front of the tenants, £300 million to write off the housing debt and £700 million investment in the housing stock, must now be spent on badly needed public housing in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh City Council had poured millions of pounds into persuading Edinburgh council tenants to transfer the city’s council house stock into housing associations.
Colin is also calling for an inquiry into Edinburgh City Council’s use of public funds for what is now two failed projects after the defeat of the City’s proposed congestion charging and now council house stock transfer.
Colin played an active part in the campaign against the stock transfer, spending the last few days leading up to the ballot leafleting his own area of Edinburgh, the Inch.
Colin said today;
“This is a magnificent victory for the campaigners against the stock transfer, the giant has been slain by the people, this is a victory for people power.
“The entire multi million pound attempt to sell stock transfer to the council tenants of Edinburgh lies in ruins because of the courage and tenacity of those who believe in the principle of publicly owned council housing but who had not a shred of resources to campaign with, only the belief that what the council was doing was fundamentally wrong.
“The billion pounds that was dangled as a carrot in front of the city’s tenants must now be spent on badly needed public housing in Edinburgh.
“There are now also big questions to be answered by Edinburgh City council about their use of public resources.
“Millions of pounds were poured into this attempt to privatise Edinburgh’s council housing with the use of highly paid consultants to advise the council.
“There must be an inquiry into why this money was spent when it is clear that there was a majority of council tenants opposed to the scheme.
“Sheila Gilmore must now consider her position having spent years promoting the stock transfer.
“This is now the second time that Edinburgh City Council has spent millions of pounds only to find that they are hopelessly out of step with the people they are supposed to represent.
“This vote also now places a huge question mark over the Scottish Executive’s entire housing policy as it has completely committed itself to the principle of stock transfer.”
