Cash back called for Barking and Dagenham
THE council has pressed the government to review its housing legislation after the appalling state of the borough s council housing was highlighted on national television last week. In Tower Block of Commons, which was aired on Channel 4 on February 1, Li
THE council has pressed the government to review its housing legislation after the appalling state of the borough's council housing was highlighted on national television last week.
In Tower Block of Commons, which was aired on Channel 4 on February 1, Liberal MP Mike Oaten swapped life in his leafy Hampshire constituency for the roar of the A13 on the Goresbrook Village estate in Dagenham.
When the POST spoke to him on location during the filming of the programme last August, he said: "It's been an extraordinary experience. I'm exhausted - I have seen mould in kitchens, in bathrooms, I have been sleeping on different sofas.
"It has been a rollercoaster in terms of emotions."
Residents said their flats had been flooded with waste water as a result of burst pipes.
They raised issues with damp, loose window frames, urine and excrement on the stairwells and frequent lift breakdowns.
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Sloane Warbrick, 27, and fellow residents, Candy Samuels, 49, Steven Mizen, 23, and Alan Jones, set up The Forgotten Village - a committee in search for answers about the future of the estate.
The council has responded by pressing its point for a review of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), which takes over �20million out of the council's budget each year to pay off its national housing debt.
Last October the council's Stand up For Local Housing rally saw campaigners descend upon Westminster in a bid to change the government's housing debt policies.
The councillor behind the move was Phil Waker. He said: "
In January, Mr Healy announced a �3.2million cash boost for 34 new council homes in the borough.
He is due to announce reforms to the HRA subsidy system this month.
