Cllr Tony Sutton writes for Evening Post

8.46.09pm GMT Thu 17th Jan 2008

The following article was written for the Nottingham Evening Post. It appeared in the 11 Jan 2008 edition.

Plans to bring all city council houses up to a decent standard were published recently. The city council says it can do the work for £309m, not the £510m originally estimated. In this column Lib Dem councillor Tony Sutton wants to know why.

I was disappointed last May when Nottingham people put their trust in the Labour Group to run the City but I accepted that the Liberal Democrat role was to argue constructively to show how to run it better.

I am happy to support Labour when what they are doing is right. When I believe that there is a better way, then I will say so strongly but I will also say what I would do.

I believe that Labour are failing to respect Nottingham people in the way that they are managing Housing! They have failed to trust Nottingham people with the facts.

Housing has been badly managed for years.

In 2003 the Labour Group set up Nottingham City Homes in order to get £165m government funding for Decent Homes investment. But they got it wrong and the NCC Housing Department grant application was not enough to do the job. They went back to government in October 2006 for another £143m but were refused.

They have so far failed to even get the promised £165m because NCH failed a government performance inspection in 2005. That inspection revealed poor management systems and skills in the Housing Department transferred to NCH. The Chief Executive left the company.

All parties support the need to improve NCH to get the government grant of £165m and to improve the housing. I was on the NCH Strategic Board during 2006 and I remember the Interim Chief Executive report on the October meeting with the government to try and get extra money.

Since the elections in May there have been no opposition members on the NCH Strategic Board. The interim Chief Executive has left NCH and is now blamed by Labour for an incompetent proposal to government in 2006.

He has been adamant that this was prepared and submitted by the Council and he wasn't even in post when the original proposal to set up NCH and apply for £165m was made!

There is an enormous amount of information on the work to be carried out, even down to the detail of the colour of kitchen worktops. There is no such clarity on the number of properties remaining after the work is completed. There are vague references to the need for regeneration and to ensure that the housing stock is sustainable. Stonebridge Park is cited as an example of the way forward.

Tenants are being consulted. But what sort of consultation tells you what you will get without telling you what you will have to pay?

It is possible that Labour and NCH have come up with plans to totally rejuvenate housing in Nottingham. I hope they have.

I have told Jon Collins that if the plans are as good as he says they are then he should be open about them and give me an opportunity to support them.

Nottingham people trusted Labour. It is time for Labour to trust them!

Tony Sutton