Return of the squatters

2.05.54pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 16th Jun 2006

Lambeth is facing a big upsurge in squatting of council flats and houses as a result of the first policy change in housing by the incoming Labour administration.

In an act that mixes incompetence with political dogma Cllr John Kazantzis, the new cabinet member for housing, has decided to halt the sale of empty council properties that the council cannot afford to make habitable.

The Liberal Democrat-led administration raised millions of pounds through the sale of such derelict properties in poor state of repair, many of them squatted, which the council could not afford to bring back into use.

Rather than leaving the properties to fester the previous administration introduced a highly successful policy of selling them off and reinvesting the proceeds in social housing. Each property was carefully assessed against a strict formula to decide whether the property should be refurbished by the council or sold. As a result of the policy millions of pounds have gone into housing regeneration projects, such as the St Matthews Estate in Brixton, and into bringing existing council properties up to standard.

"This act by Cllr Kazantzis is a mixture of incompetence and political dogma," said Lib Dem Housing spokesperson Cllr Jeremy Clyne. "Where does he think the money is going to come from to refurbish these places? They will just be left to rot, as they were under the last Labour administration, causing a blight on the neighbourhood and creating an easy target for squatters."

"An example is a three-bed maisonette in Drewstead Road, Streatham, which was left empty for a staggering 14 years and was squatted twice during that period. It has now been sold at auction, is being brought back into use and the proceeds made available to repair and refurbish the homes of existing council tenants."