TENANTS are getting a raw deal from Harlow Council, according to a new housing strategy launched by Harlow Labour Group.

The strategy sets out a series of proposals aimed at providing more affordable homes, better quality housing and an improved service for tenants.

Key to the strategy is increasing investment in housing by spending a higher proportion of the council's capital receipts on housing projects.

Currently the council spends only 50 per cent of the capital receipts gleaned through the Right to Buy scheme on the housing stock. The Labour group proposes to increase that figure to 75 per cent to help find the extra £10m the council estimates it will need to meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2010.

Labour group leader Kevin Brooks said: "Our new strategy is based on the principle that housing revenues should be reinvested in housing. If this is done there is more than enough money to meet the Decent Homes Standard and improve a housing service that has deteriorated sharply since the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition took control of the council."

The group believes that reinvesting more into improving the housing stock will not only give tenants an alternative to large scale voluntary transfer, but also put the council in a stronger position if recently announced Government proposals to pool capital receipts are adopted.

Harlow MP Bill Rammell said that as the money would be redistributed according to each authority's housing need, the Government may not look favourably on a council spending 50 per cent of its housing revenue on non-housing projects.

Mr Rammell said: "The problem in Harlow is that the current council are not using the capital receipts to reinvest in housing, and are instead syphoning the money off elsewhere. Quite blatantly tenants in Harlow are being ripped off and misled and it's got to stop."

January 30, 2003 11:00