For the fourth year running, Lambeth’s housing crisis has been laid bare, having received the second most housing complaints in the country.
Up 22% from the previous year, the only council worse off than Lambeth was Birmingham, which contains twice the number of council homes.
In order to meet both decent housing and net zero requirements, the council has stated that it will need £2.6billion in investment over the next 30 years, though Green councillor Nicole Griffiths claims this number could rise as high as £3.4billion.
In response, the council has slated a number of properties for sale in order to raise some of this money.
The list includes five empty homes as well as a storage facility used by council tenants, leading some critics to argue that the solution is a short-sighted one by letting go of assets which could otherwise be serving Lambeth residents.
Paul Valentine, Green Councillor for Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction said: “We know we’ve got a housing crisis – it seems to me like an absolute own goal to be selling off housing stock that exists.”
Meanwhile, residents of Kennington’s Cotton Gardens Estate are suffering the direct consequences of crisis, having endured flooding, sewage leaks, asbestos, and an array of other hardships over the last few years.
Cotton Gardens resident Michael Cross said: “It’s just going to take more money and Lambeth taking responsibility.”
Lambeth Council were contacted for comment.
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