Letters to the Press

Housing Shortage, Inside Housing Publication July 2010

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 |

Dear Sir,

Neil Hadden’s resistance to housing localism sounds hackneyed and outmoded (‘Housing boss claims localism is a ruse to stop investment’, 5 July). He seems wedded to a centralised command and control system, run from Whitehall, that has resulted in an all-time low in new homes built in Britain in the last decade.

Housing desperately needs innovation. Localism gives local authorities the much-needed incentive to build news homes. It will also affords communities a real say and stake in what is built and where, rather than the current situation in which every new development is met with opposition and resentment.

In London, under the Mayor’s ‘delegated delivery’ programme, local control of housing has already been granted for Westminster, Croydon and Hackney, with house building likely to meet or exceed goals. Localism will also help authorities cope with funding reductions by enabling them make their money work harder and borrow more.

No-one pretends that solving the housing shortage will be easy, but innovation and new localist thinking should be welcomed, not maligned.

Yours faithfully,

Steve O’Connell
London Assembly Conservative Group Housing spokesman

Olympic ticket giveaway

Monday, 24 May 2010 |

Dear Editor,

Boris’s giveaway of 200,000 Olympic tickets to young people will be the first time that outer London sees any benefit from the Games. Billions have been invested in these Olympics, and Londoners have had to fork out more than the rest of the country. They have been charged on average £220 more in their Council Tax to pay for the Games, but unless they live near Stratford , they will see very little return. Boris has recognised this injustice and made a step in the right direction.

Steve O’Connell

London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton

The capital needs most but gets least Croydon Guardian March 2010

Wednesday, 17 March 2010 |

London suffers the country’s most acute housing shortage.

Yet, absurdly, the Government announced this week it was giving almost every other region in the country more money for the construction of affordable homes than the capital.

Although £83m is being spent on building 5,700 houses nationwide via Kick Start (II), the funds allocated to London will only be enough for a paltry 114 homes. It is completely unjustifiable that the North West will receive more than double London’s funding, despite its population being only a third the size.

The Government’s study published last month shows, of all the people in England those in the capital, especially young families, are least able to buy a home.

If ministers are aware the capital has the greatest need, it begs the question why is so much money still being sent north, leaving London short changed again?

Steve O’Connell

Assembly Member for Croydon & Sutton

Fans support for CPFC Croydon Guardian March 2010

Saturday, 13 March 2010 |

As life long supporters, we have always thought that the future of CPFC reaches across party political boundaries, and as such we are both excited about the initiative between the club and the Supporters Trust to sponsor the Easter Monday Preston NE game. The last few weeks have shown that Palace fans are the best in the country, and we urge as many as possible to play their part. The form can be found on www.cpfc.co.uk

We have both made our own contributions, and hopefully those who can afford to, will help. There are great prizes to be won. But the best prize of all is to keep our great Club alive for the future.

As Labour and Conservative Politicians, we are truly part of the Red ‘n Blue Army.

Cllr Raj Chandarana & Cllr Steve O’Connell AM.

Proposed closure of A&E at Mayday Hospital

Sunday, 21 February 2010 |

We need a cast-iron guarantee that A&E and maternity units will stay at Mayday hospital. Croydon’s NHS Chief Exec statement is welcome (‘Croydon Mayday A&E not at risk claim hospital bosses’, 18 Feb, Croydon Guardian). Options for the future have been promised by the end of 2010, but health officials must recognise that recent reports have provoked real alarm.

I appreciate that proper planning for the improvement of the local health services takes time. However, given the concern caused by the leaked NHS funding report, people need answers now. Nuclear options such as major hospital closures should be ruled out immediately. This would spare residents a year of waiting anxiously and would allow the rest of the review to go ahead without too much fuss.

I know the excellent service Mayday provides, having been treated for a damaged leg just a few weeks ago. And if closures were announced, I’d man the barricades myself. But I’d rather NHS London chiefs completely ruled this out now to prevent fear for the future of local health services.

Yours faithfully,

Steve O’Connell

Conservative London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton

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