Southwark Diocese has taken its first steps officially to oppose the Church Commissioners proposals for the Octavia Hill Estates.

In a resolution on Tuesday 8 May the Diocesan Board for Church in Society (BCS) calls on the Commissioners to shelve the present proposals, and reaffirm their commitment to social housing in the Octavia Hill tradition. The Board is highly critical of the proposals and also appeals to the Archbishops' Council to convey their concerns to the Church Commissioners.

The resolution says: "If carried through, the changes would gravely undermine the ministry of the church to the local community and would seriously compromise the wider church's professed commitment to combat urban poverty and social exclusion. The withdrawal of so many units of social housing at the very time when London is suffering from a severe shortage of social housing must be resisted."
The voting was: 24 in favour; 0 against; with 4 abstentions.

The Board for Church in Society is concerned with issues of mission & social responsibility and is made up of elected representatives from all over the Diocese of Southwark, which covers south London and north-east Surrey.

The Archdeacon of Southwark, who chairs the BCS, the Ven Douglas Bartles-Smith, says: "There has already been widespread protest at the Commissioners' proposals from residents, local clergy, ward councillors & MP's. This vote by the Board for Church in Society takes the opposition to a new level of serious concern by the local church and we hope that the Diocesan Synod will back us when it meets in July. The Church Commissioners must not abandon their moral obligation to provide affordable housing."

Under the Commissioners proposals, a 100 year commitment to providing affordable social housing in inner London would come to an end. As vacancies occur, over 1000 homes would move to full market rents of up to £1500 per month. The remaining 500 or so homes, where restrictive covenants prevent charging full market rents, would be reserved for key workers at rents of up to £750 per month.

The full text of the resolution is as follows:

This Board notes with alarm the proposals of the Church Commissioners to change radically the structure of rents and lettings on their Octavia Hill Estates, which in this diocese alone, number some 1200 properties.

The proposals to introduce market rents on new lettings for two-thirds of these properties and to restrict lettings to a narrowly defined class of "Key Workers" on the remainder, amount to a commercialization of these estates and a break with a 100-year commitment to make this housing available, at affordable rents, to lower income working class people.

If carried through, the changes would gravely undermine the ministry of the church to the local community and would seriously compromise the wider church's professed commitment to combat urban poverty and social exclusion.

The withdrawal of so many units of social housing at the very time when London is suffering from a severe shortage of social housing must be resisted.

This board therefore:
1. commends the Church Commissioners for the vital service they have rendered by making these properties available for the past 100 years to people on low income;
2. views the proposals in their present form as a complete abandonment of that historical commitment;
3. supports the Bishop of Southwark in his efforts to persuade the Church Commissioners to remain faithful to that 100-year commitment;
4. calls upon the Church Commissioners to shelve the present proposals and to reaffirm their commitment to social housing in the Octavia Hill tradition;
5. appeals to the Archbishops' Council to endorse this motion and to convey our concerns to the Church Commissioners, and
6. appeals to Diocesan Synod to endorse this motion and to convey our common concerns to the Church Commissioners.

Ends.

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