Orders of the Day — GREATER LONDON COUNCIL (GENERAL POWERS) BILL (By Order)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 25 October 1979.

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Photo of Mr Stuart Holland Mr Stuart Holland , Lambeth Vauxhall 12:00, 25 October 1979

I wish to concentrate my attention on clause 8, and especially the provision for the transfer of staff consequent upon the transfer of housing accommodation or land or for the purpose of the management of housing accommodation or land". Hon. Members have already expressed clear concerns about staffing, and I wish to deal with the role that will be given to the staff concerned in respect of key housing and related employment needs in the area. It is not clear that those who will be called upon to undertake new responsibilities will be part of the best structure possible to fulfil them. Because of the overall strategy of the GLC, in the context of the clause, and because of the policy of council house sales and the sale of land in which this staff will be engaged, a chronic crisis has broken out in my constituency.

In practice, Lambeth has about 1,400 homeless people apart from its waiting list. In addition there are several hundred single homeless people in the area. In effect, because of the GLC policy of council house sales the door has been slammed on the exit from this inner city area to outer areas. I am not saying that people want to move away from Vauxhall, but we have grave problems because the GLC is not appropriately allocating staff to analyse the mass of social and economic problems from which the area suffers.

For instance, there is a public inquiry on the Coin Street site, a well enough known site by the South Bank theatre, on which planning permission is being sought by various companies in respect of the equivalent of 11½ Centre Point buildings.