Seven key questions need to be asked over Empty Homes Scandal
THE leader of Rossendale council, Alyson Barnes, used her column in the Free Press last week to try and present a more positive view of the Empty Homes Scheme problems which have befallen the local council.
The project has rarely been far from the top of the agenda among Rossendale’s councillors in recent years – and for good reason.
The council found itself footing the bill for a project to spend millions of pounds upgrading East Lancashire’s worst homes after the company the council appointed to run the scheme collapsed.
Political recriminations about how the collapse of the company involved was announced, opposition councillors felt it took the ruling Labour council too long to share information about the company’s collapse, soon gave way to rows over how the council found itself in a position where it was having to spend its money to complete the project, becoming social landlord of last resort in the process.
In her column last week, Coun Barnes revealed that money which could have been used for other things had been ‘absorbed’ into the Empty Homes Project, but did point out 300 homes which were out of action were now being used by families paying council tax.
Good news, of course, but there are many questions still unanswered about this project.
Councils have overview and scrutiny committees to hold the ruling executive to account.
It’s time for Rossendale’s scrutiny committee to do its job, and hold an inquiry into how the council has handled this.
Despite the collapse of AAAW happening over three years ago, the full findings of an independent investigation into what happened have yet to be publicly released, with Rossendale’s leaders citing ongoing police investigations as a reason for not doing so.
Backbench councillors who populate the scrutiny committee need to ask themselves if this is good enough.
This is a topic of conversation which won’t go away, not least because opposition councillors will ensure it won’t.
Their one sentence summary – that the Empty Homes Scandal has cost tax payers £5m - is one which sticks in the memory.
It is, in short, time for full disclosure.
The seven key questions which need to be asked are:
l How much money has had to be diverted from council funds to keep this project going?
l Why has extra money been necessary given the scheme was being funded to the tune of £5.6m from the Homes and Communities Agency?
l What would that money have been spent on had it remained in regular council funds?
l How much have the other councils in East Lancashire put aside to cover the extra costs Rossendale has had to cover?
l How many of the 300 homes which Rossendale has helped fund the completion of are actually in Rossendale?
l What steps has Rossendale council taken to ensure it will never find itself financially exposed like this again?
l What steps have Rossendale’s councillors – of all political parties – taken to ensure they are kept actively informed of such big schemes in the future?
At the moment, we continue to see a dripdrip of information, as and when it suits those getting hold of that information.
If, as Coun Barnes seems to confirm, we are now seeing council money being diverted to pay for the Empty Homes Scheme, it’s surely incumbent on every local councillor in Rossendale to ensure a fully transparent inquiry is held. Will it happen? This column hopes so.