Lib Dems fail tenants with Tenants’ Management shambles
Lambeth Council has confirmed that its Tenants Management Organisations (TMOs) are under police investigation for fraud and corruption. The shocking admission was made by Cllr Keith Fitchett, the Council’s Executive Member for housing, at a tenants meeting at the Town Hall last Thursday evening (23rd September). The TMOs – which allow tenants to run their own services – have been under police investigation for some time. Cllr Fitchett stated that thousands of pounds have gone ‘missing’ from TMO accounts – money that the housing department is not expecting to be able to recover. He said that houses have been sold off to members of staff, a blatant breach of the regulations. He was also able to confirm that one of the TMOs has now gone bankrupt. Councillor John Kazantzis, Labour’s spokesperson for housing said: “This is yet another demonstration of the shambles that is Lambeth’s housing department. Confidence is at an all-time low with the chaotic reframing project, and now tenants are faced with the loss of their money because of the Council’s failure to support TMOs properly.” Councillor Steven Reed, the Leader of Lambeth Labour Group, added: “Councillor Fitchett must come clean
about all the investigations as soon as the police have finished investigating.
And he must promise to replace tenants’ money which has gone missing
because his officers failed to do their job.”
|
