The Church Commissioners' proposals for the Octavia Hill estates, mostly in south London, received an overwhelming thumbs-down at the Southwark Diocesan Synod on Wednesday 4 July.

The Rev Benny Hazlehurst, on behalf of the Diocesan Board for Church in Society, introduced the motion. He argued that the proposals to apply market rents to many of the properties would effectively commercialise the estates which were always intended to provide housing at affordable rents for 'lower income working class' people. An estimated 1200 homes in the diocese would be affected.

The Synod, which represents the bishops, clergy and laity of the diocese, called on the Church Commissioners to shelve the present proposals and to reaffirm their commitment to social housing. A few speakers reminded Synod that the Commissioners have a responsibility to maximise their income for the benefit of the whole Church of England. But the vote for the motion was overwhelming, with only 4 against and a small number of abstentions.

The motion calls for the Archbishops' Council to endorse it and to convey the concerns to the Church Commissioners. The issue is also likely to be raised at the General Synod of the Church of England which is meeting in York this weekend.

There has already been widespread protest at the Commissioners' proposals from residents, local clergy, ward councillors & MP's.

The full text of the Southwark Diocesan Synod resolution is as follows

"This Synod 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 commercialisation 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 Synod 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.

Ends.

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