The Southwark Diocesan Synod voted, at its meeting on Saturday 12 November, to challenge the Church Commissioners to maintain some social housing on the South London estates which it is expected to sell. In an emergency debate the Synod passed, by an overwhelming majority, the motion put by Ven. Michael Ipgrave, the Archdeacon of Southwark, on behalf of himself and Ven Christopher Skilton, the Archdeacon of Lambeth, in whose archdeaconries these properties lie. The motion urged the Church Commissioners, in their disposal of the housing stock, to ensure that a significant proportion of social housing was maintained.

The General Synod members from Southwark Diocese had all been sent a report on the events surrounding the expected sale of two estates owned by the Church Commissioners in South London and the emergency debate happened as a result of this. The report concluded:

‘The clergy involved in discussions with all interested parties firmly believe that it is imperative to seek to maintain these estates as part of the social housing stock of South London. A disposal with no attempt to maintain the stock as social housing would be damaging to the local mission and ministry of the church. And that is what these estates are: social housing stock, and that is how they should be valued if, as seems probable, the Commissioners are determined on a sale. It is appreciated that the Commissioners have a legal fiduciary duty not to sell at an undervalue but a feasibility study to see how such a sale might be achieved ought to be carried out as a first step.’

Ends.

Note to Editors:
The “Octavia Hill Estates” are unlike any other property which the Church Commissioners hold in their investment portfolio. In what is now Southwark Diocese there were three estates owned by the Church Commissioners which were managed, in the early 20th Century, by Octavia Hill, who was instrumental in the provision of affordable, decent housing for poor people. There is one in Walworth, one in Waterloo and one in Vauxhall. They were established as a result of the replacement of older properties owned by the predecessors of the Church Commissioners. Much of this work was aided by the Government slum clearance programme.

Throughout much of the twentieth century these estates continued to be let to tenants at affordable rents, even when rent control was relaxed and open market rents substantially increased. Across London there were, in 2001, 1,590 homes. They have thus formed part of the social housing stock of South London for about 100 years. The housing estate in Waterloo has already been sold by the Church Commissioners to a commercial company.