South Oxhey's housing problems

Housing in South Oxhey is a mix of tenancies and home ownership.  South Oxhey Labour seeks to represent all local residents in housing matters, whichever sector they are in.  We need a supply of affordable, good quality homes, in order to maintain a stable and family-orientated community.  We think that local children, on growing up, should be able to find a home of their own near their parents (if that is what they want).  These objectives require the local planning authority - Three Rivers District Council - to use their powers appropriately, and we will be maintaining pressure on the Lib-Dem-controlled Council to do so.  We also call on the Conservative-led government to do more to address the acute housing shortage in the South East.

Tenants' problems with housing associations

Labour Parish Councillor Joan King has been advising local tenants of housing associations for many years now, and is keen to hear from any-one experiencing problems.  This could be issues about property maintenance, families in accommodation that is too small for them, or any other dispute about any other matter.  If you've already taken it up with the housing association, but feel you're getting nowhere, or if you have a question that needs some expert advice, use the form below to get in touch.  Your communication will be treated in confidence

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The contact details that you enter on this form will not be used to include you in any emailing list.  They will be used by Cllr. Joan King alone to answer your question or concern; see our  Privacy Statement.

Our message to housing planners

• We want Three Rivers District Council to apply pressure on developers to maximise the proportion of their developments that are for affordable housing (see the comments to the right).
  
• We want to preserve our green spaces as much as possible.
• We encourage building in "brown field" sites around the local area.
• We want a supply of houses with a mixture of tenancies and private ownership, sufficient to allow local children, on growing up, to stay near their parents and families.

What is affordable housing?

Affordable housing means homes that are affordable by people on average incomes.  Whenever a developer requests planning permission, a percentage of the homes being built must be affordable.  It is up to the local council - in our case Three Rivers - to negotiate that percentage to be as high as possible, in exchange for granting the planning permission.

Residents of affordable homes might be tenants, or they might purchase the house, or something in between (purchase a proportion of it, say 50%, and rent the rest).  It allows local people on average incomes to obtain good quality accommodation and, if they want, also get onto the property-owning ladder.  Labour supports these schemes and looks to Three Rivers to do as much as it can to promote them.