Forgetting the basics

Another day, and another promise about housing. This time is was London Mayor Ken Livingstone spouting forth saying that he will pledge to have 50,000 new homes built in the London area.

But, in the usual Labour style of government he will simply make the pledge and put the pressure on the local councils to build them. Red Ken's targets are set out in his draft housing strategy which will go out for consultation before becoming law in 2008.

To date many councils have failed to hit his over the top targets he blames it on "individual councils who've been resisting development because they're worried the people coming into the area won't vote for them." A claim which is nothing short of rubbish. The reason for resistance is that local boroughs are starting to realise that the current infrastructure of council services simply will not cope. A perfect example is the ongiong situation in Chafford Hundred, where thousands of new family homes have been built, but there isn't any new school places for their kids.

So instead of barking at the councils for not building the houses, he should perhaps look at the services the boroughs need to provide for all of these new households, instead of trying to play party politics all of the time.