40th Anniversary Of Thamesmead

EDM number 667 in 2007-08, proposed by John Austin on 09/01/2008.

That this House notes that 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the first residents moving to Thamesmead; records that the development was started by the then Greater London Council (GLC) to meet London's housing needs and that most of the rented social housing was provided by the GLC as well as many of the community facilities including community halls, meeting rooms, lakes, parks and open spaces; further notes that when the GLC was abolished by the then Conservative Government all the social housing, community halls, lakes, parks and open spaces were transferred, not to two local authorities, Bexley and Greenwich, but to a private company, Thamesmead Town Ltd.; congratulates the residents of Thamesmead for their persistence in campaigning against Thamesmead Town Ltd. and for the tenants' rights to transfer to a registered social landlord; welcomes the fact that the election of a Labour Government in 1997 enabled that transition to take place in 1999, with the transfer of rented housing to Gallions Housing Association; regrets, however, that the opportunity was not taken at that time to transfer the lakes, parks and open spaces to the two local authorities; further notes that residents of Thamesmead pay council tax to the two local authorities, including a contribution to the maintenance of parks and open spaces throughout the two boroughs, except Thamesmead; and calls on the Government to reconsider this situation and end this unfairness to the people of Thamesmead.

This motion has been signed by a total of 10 MPs.