April 2001

Opposition mounts to housing privatisation (25 April 2001)

Pus in Boots (9 April 2001)

Unions plan "alternative 2020 Vision" (2 April 2001)

Opposition mounts to housing privatisation

Campaigners against privatisation are set to target the "Royds Community Association" which hopes to become the district's first "Registered Social Landlord" to take over council housing in south Bradford.

Local tenant activists last night teamed up with campaigners from Tower Hamlets, who recently defeated similar moves in the London borough.

Bradford Council claim a £70 million repairs backlog can only be met by borrowing from the banks - an option the government will not allow to local authorities. They are pushing hard to persuade tenants to accept a "stock transfer" of their homes to the new landlords.

But Mark Weeks of the National "Defend Council Housing" Campaign told a public meeting last night that stock transfer was "the trojan horse of privatisation";

"There are only 2 certainties if this goes through; one is that rents will rise and the second is that the banks will get their money come what may."

A council survey of tenants last September revealed that 82% "wanted housing to be under the control of the council", despite a widespread dissatisfaction with the local authority as landlords. But in January a report by housing consultants Hacas recommended that the council proceed with the transfer of ownership of their 26,000 houses.

The likely total cost of the transfer is set at over £8 million, which includes around £400,000 in "consultants fees" and £100,000 in "pre-ballot public relations". The council must persuade tenants to back the scheme in a ballot.

The Royds Association has overseen a £36 million government regeneration of the area, which is due to end next year. Their "exit strategy" for survival depends on them taking over the local housing stock.

They have also applied for government grants to install 16 CCTV cameras on tall poles in local residential areas, enabling them to keep a close watch over their prospective tenants.

See previous posting.
See also: Campaign to Defend Council Housing

Pus in Boots

The city's top super-quango "Bradford Vision" has appointed 38 year old Martin Garrett as it's new Chief Executive. His £60,000 a year pay cheque will be picked up by local ratepayers.

His job is to push through the Council's "2020 Vision" strategy which is behind the current wave of privatisations and the transfer of political power into the hands of the district's business leaders.

The "nowhere to hide" chief will be based in the shadowy organisation's bomb-proof bunker in Sharpe St.

Not surprisingly Garrett was formerly head of Boots "property research and town planning". Boots were one of the major companies behind the scheme to transfer control of the nations city centres into private hands.

10 years ago they helped set up The Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) which successfully oversaw city centre management schemes established by most local authorities. Bradford City Centre Management is currently being privatised.

2 years ago, as the government began implementing it's "modernising local government" plans, the ATCM lobbied hard to become a major player, particularly as the government established the big spending "Regional Development Agencies" (RDAs).

At that time council officers at Bradford City Centre Management set up a dummy "ATCM North East" website, which urged businesses to identify and target the council officer responsible for dealing with new RDA's.

It said "A lobbying presentation (in Powerpoint and hard copy format) is available from Richard Willoughby..." who was of course formally head of Bradford City Centre Management and is conveniently now boss of "Regeneration and Business Partnerships" at the Council.

The "2020 Vision" strategy, which was mainly influenced by local business interests, is now officially "owned" by the super-quango.

Bradford TUC has condemned the moves as "the local end of the process of mass globalisation".

See details on the ATCM
See also: Unpublished "ATCM North East demonstration website"
See also details of super-quango "Bradford Vision"

Unions plan "alternative 2020 Vision"

Bradford TUC is planning to draw up an alternative vision for the future of the city, in a direct challenge to the Council's "2020 Vision" launched exactly a year ago.

Unions believe the council plan, initiated by the Chief executive Ian Stewart shortly after his appointment, is being used to justify mass privatisation of public services, including education, housing and the city centre.

The "Vision" was officially unveiled at a plush public launch in April last year. It claimed to be the result of "the biggest public consultation excercise" in the district's history.

But a report to the local TUC suggests the "Vision" was mainly influenced by the district's bosses. The report also claims that a "District 5-year Strategy" setting out the details of the plan was supposed to be made public at the same time, but has still not been published.

Bradford TUC conducted it's own investigation into the original "2020 Vision" process, including the public consultation which produced over 7000 submissions, mostly through the issuing of postcards to schools and other venues.

At the same time Ian Stewart held a series of "business breakfast meetings" with small groups of the district's business leaders in November, which were carefully minuted. The council's final draft report was drawn up shortly afterwards, when the public consultation had not yet finished. These meetings "seem to have been particularly influential".

Stewart promised the bosses a view of the final draft "vision" before official publication, and said he would continue the meetings afterwards.

Meanwhile local public sector unions have held meetings with their counterparts across the country to share experience of public service privatisations.

Mike Quiggin, secretary of Bradford TUC said:

"Experience of privatisation around the country has been one of disaster after disaster. We expect to be in for a long hard fight."

See: "Bosses on Bradford" - what the bosses told Ian Stewart

See also: "2020 Vision - background and consultation"; report to Bradford TUC
See previous postings; "Bradfords e-future launched" and "Unions rally against privatisation"
See also: Bradford NUT privatisation website

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