Conservatives Say Housing Survey is "Meaningless"

No alternative options were given in questionnaires

Ealing Conservatives have condemned an 'independent survey' commissioned by Ealing Council, purporting to show support from tenants and leaseholders for the future management of council housing in Ealing.

Market research company, Ipsos MORI, sent questionnaires to tenants and leaseholders in July, asking if they supported plans to bring housing management under the council’s direct control.

Councillor Colm Costello, shadow cabinet member for housing told us: "We note the results of the test of opinion, however we have had reservations from the beginning that tenants and leaseholders were being asked to make a judgement about whether they supported the Labour Party’s plan to bring the management of council housing in house, without telling them about alternative options.

"Labour should have provided information about a number of alternative arrangements along with an estimate of the impact of each, on future rents and leaseholder charges.

"Having failed to provide anyone including councillors and even Cabinet members with basic facts the relative cost of the different options, this test of opinion on just one option, is meaningless."

The report showed that overall 61% of respondents were in favour of the proposals for how housing should be managed after the agreement with Ealing Homes ends in March 2011.

However, critics say that since Ealing Homes ( set up by a Labour Council because the Council’s housing department was not performing well) has become notorious over recent years for its inadequacies, tenants will have wanted to be able to choose an alternative. But the only alternative offered in the survey was handing housing management back to Ealing Council.

The full report is available to download from the ‘council properties’ section of the council’s website at www.ealing.gov.uk/housing

The council’s Cabinet will discuss the results of the survey and make a final decision on the proposals at its meeting on Tuesday, 14 September.

September 2, 2010