Councillor John Kazantzis is the Cabinet member for housing and took a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk to us about the future of housing in Lambeth...

Why has Lambeth Housing service been so poor for some many years?
Lambeth’s tenants and leaseholders have been badly let down by the last Lib Dem led administration. They not only failed to provide the basics in terms of day to day repairs and maintenance, but their botched attempt at restructuring actually ended up costing more money, money which should have been invested in decent homes.

What is your top priority for improving Lambeth Housing?
Providing decent homes for all residents. Homes that are warm, weatherproof, safe and secure.

What are the reasons for the recent re-organisation of Lambeth Housing?
Because of Lib Dem incompetence, Lambeth’s Housing department is the most expensive in London. This means that money which should be spent on tenants properties is being wasted on an oversized, inefficient bureaucracy. This reorganisation addresses that problem, closing under-used, expensive part-time offices and reinvesting the money saved in vital front line services like cleaning and repairs.

What is an ALMO, and why is Labour bidding to get one in place in Lambeth?
An Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) is a not for profit company, wholly owned by the council, which is set up specifically to manage the housing stock. It will give tenants and leaseholders much more say in the way their homes and estates are managed and maintained. It will, when set up properly with the approval of residents, when judged to be of a high enough standard, enable the council to draw down on an extra £220 million of government funding.

What will the investment following the ALMO mean for the individual tenant?
It will mean bringing all Lambeth properties up to the decent homes standard and on average an extra £8000 spent on every single property.
What consultation has taken place so far?
There has already been a Housing Strategy Conference where the ALMO was the main focus of attention. There is another one planned for October. There have been special Area Housing Forums on the subject in all of the Town Centre Areas and there is now a special working group set up.

Why do some people claim an ALMO is privatisation?
To be honest, I really don’t know because it isn’t! Ownership remains firmly with the council. The council remains the landlord, continues to set the rents and tenants remain secure council tenants. The ALMO is a not for profit company, wholly owned by the council, there are no shareholders and no dividends paid so it cannot be termed “privatisation” by any stretch of the imagination!

Will tenants and leaseholders be properly consulted?
Yes of course. The consultation process has only just begun. It will continue for a whole year. All tenants and leaseholders will have plenty of opportunities to put forward their views and we will only go ahead with an ALMO, indeed the government will only let us proceed, if there is strong resident support.

What qualifies you to take on the position of Cabinet Member for Housing in Lambeth?
For the past 2 years I have been the Labour Spokesperson for Housing and Chair of Housing Scrutiny Committee but prior to that I have always cared passionately about social housing and the need to provide decent affordable homes for all Lambeth’s tenants and leaseholders.