Andrew Dismore

During today’s Mayor’s Question Time, Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden raised the lack of additional affordable homes in Barnet’s estate regenerations.

During MQT Mr Dismore challenged Mayor Johnson, “is estate regeneration about providing penthouses for oligarchs?” When the Mayor said it was not, Mr Dismore reminded him of the West Hendon project which the Mayor had approved.

Mr Dismore questioned the Mayor:

“Then why did you approve the scheme in West Hendon: you previously said you read my letter of objection but clearly it was beyond your attention span. Did you realise when you approved it, that Cllr Tom Davey, Barnet Council’s Conservative cabinet member for housing told the Barnet Planning Committee, when challenged about the likely cost of the up to 28 storey high rise private penthouses with stunning views over the Welsh Harp, that he was happy about these homes being bought up by Russian Oligarchs and Gulf oil sheikhs, at the same time as there are no more affordable homes on the estate than there are now?

How is this helping Barnet’s desperate housing shortage?

When the Council cut 238 affordable homes from the Beaufort Park housing development Cllr Davey also said:

“I would prefer the homes to be sold on the private market because you generally get people in who would be paying a higher price and rely less on public services. My ideal Barnet household is one which pays council tax and does not rely on council services.”

Do you endorse this Dame Shirley Porter style social cleansing of your Barnet Conservative colleagues? If not what are you going to do about it?”

The Mayor then appeared to change his position, and seemed to suggest that he was in favour of oligarchs after all and was not going to do anything about the failure to provide more affordable homes.

After MQT Mr Dismore said:

“Now we know the Conservatives care more about oligarchs than Londoners in desperate housing need. It was not just a Barnet Conservative aberration after all. Lady Porter’s policy was to be “mean and nasty to the homeless” of Westminster. It seems the Mayor wants to be generous and friendly to oligarchs and intends to do nothing for the less well-off of Barnet.”