Let us be clear about council housing issue
4:07pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Your Say
I write in respect of the recent coverage on Swindon Council housing and the Swindon Housing Vote.
As with any big decision, there are lots of different opinions but I have noticed that there have been a few misunderstandings. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some important points.
First, tenants who live in council houses pay rent and they pay council tax, all of them. It is true that some people rely on state benefits to help them but they are entitled to those benefits because they need them.
I believe it is right that the Government helps people in need. I don’t think that the welfare state is perfect and I agree it needs reform, but I am glad it is there to help. Everyone uses public services whether it be schools, hospitals or roads.
Second, council tax does not pay for council housing. Council housing is paid for from rents paid by the tenants. Housing money is ring fenced, so rents can only be spent on housing and council tax cannot, by law, be used to subsidise housing. Council housing pays its own way.
Third, the reason for the housing ballot was simple. It was about giving tenants a choice because of the implications of the new “self financing” of council housing. The debt which now has to be paid will be paid from rent, which is one of the reasons I supported tenants being given the chance to vote. I am really pleased that so many tenants voted. I respect the choice they have made.
People are welcome to debate the rights and wrongs of the ballot as long as they like. My view is that the priority needs to be how we can move housing forward in Swindon. As a result of the ballot I think tenants feel more empowered. I have said all along, “your home, your future and your choice”. Now tenants have made the choice, we need to work together to make sure tenants have the best possible services and I welcome any suggestions from tenants about how best to achieve this goal.
Coun Russell Holland Cabinet Member for Housing
Honda has listened
I have not paid much attention to the Honda saga, firmly believing that the people would lose as usual, as democracy has at local level and on a national level on a regular basis all over our nation.
I make these comments on the basis of reading reports in national newspapers as well as our local paper.
The people who live within the catchment area of the Honda plant have made their stand and Honda, the worldwide conglomerate, have finally realised that fact.
Perhaps the complacency that has enveloped us all may be stirred, due to the resolution, fortitude and against all the odds, success of a few thousand local residents who share my views.
Bill Williams Merlin Way Swindon
A charitable plea
As secretary of the Swindon Old Town branch of the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, it is a particularly busy time of year as we strive to raise sufficient funds to bring a party of children to Swindon for four weeks’ respite during the summer.
Our shop, at 95 Victoria Road, has boosted our bank balance, but donations of saleable goods are dwindling, and we urgently need your help. We have more or less exhausted the kindness of our immediate circle of family and friends, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has contributed so far. We have a wonderful team of volunteers too, without whose help – freely given – the shop couldn’t function.
So if you are clearing out your winter wardrobe in preparation for spring, or if you have any books, CDs, jewellery, bric-a-brac and furniture that are no longer needed, please think of us!.
And if you need a reviving cuppa when you’re visiting Old Town, remember we also have a small tea room. Thank you.
Sue Lawford Sarsen Close Swindon
Constitutional puzzle
I wonder if the Adver, or maybe a reader, could answer a question that has been on my mind for some time.
I’m reminded of this from time to time when I hear in the media that a certain legal issue has been presented to the Supreme Court for an opinion. My question is this: for how long have we had a Supreme Court, if indeed we have, and if we do, when was it included into our legal framework?
I have always thought the House of Lords was the ultimate arbiter of our legal system.
In conclusion, may I enquire if this Supreme Court actually does exist in practice, should there not have been a vote, or at least a referendum on changing a legal system where the Lords were the supreme decider? Surely this must be a constitutional issue?
CJ Meek Cloche Way Swindon
Running rings
Having read Barrie Hudson's column on February 1 on the new southern Relief Road, I think it will be fine once it’s finished at the Western end.
It needs a bit of ‘left hand down a bit’ towards the Great Western Way about half a mile West of the Mannington Roundabout, going under the railway, of course.
It would be better still to go straight to J16 of the M4, but there are too many buildings in the way, anyway it could go to Great Western Way to a roundabout or a set of traffic lights at the junction.
Getting under the railway line should be fairly simple – a couple of precast reinforced concrete box sections, each wide enough for a dual carriage way, close the line for 24 hours on a Saturday evening, bulldoze the bank out of the way, drop in the concrete sections, reinstate the banks each side, relay the line, and signal wires etc. open the line again on Monday morning.
There would probably have to be a speed restriction on the line for a couple of weeks while the banks stabilized.
The road could then be completed at leisure, retaining the link into Redpost Drive, for those going into town avoiding Mannington Roundabout.
The Southern Relief Road could then be of some use.
AR Partridge Gays Place Swindon
GDP means nothing
Gross Domestic Product is the total of all the goods and services that a country produces.
But GDP is a bad way to assess the growth and prosperity of a country.
If you consider the total GDP, then China is the second richest country in the world.
But if you consider GDP per person, then China is one of the poorest countries in the world.
From this example, it is clear that simply looking at the total GDP of a country means absolutely nothing.
The only figure that really has any meaning at all is GDP per person.
Steve Halden Beaufort Green Swindon
