Greens urge people to sign online petition

Cllr Philip Booth, a Green District councillor in Stroud (pictured) said: "The group Defend Council Housing are urging people to write to candidates in the coming election. Greens fully support the need for the 'Fourth Option' of direct investment in council housing as an alternative to privatisation by stock transfer, PFI or ALMO. Three years running the Labour Party conference has overwhelmingly voted for this option as a matter of urgency, yet this Government has ignored them. They must listen to us and their own party members."

Philip Booth continued: "It is outrageous that the Government takes money out of council housing, leaving many councils unable to meet the government's Decent Homes standard. The government then offers extra investment - but councils have to access one of 3 options to get it, transferring either their homes or the management of them into the private sector. We want the 'fourth option' – a level playing field so that the same amount of money can be invested in council housing directly. I would urge people to sign the online petition here."

The Green party passed a policy motion at the party's recent Spring Conference opposing Arms Length Management Organisations. This follows considerable local success in opposing ALMOs locally, including in Oxford and Swansea.

Dr. Derek Wall Principal Green party speaker who was recently in Stroud has said: "Affordable housing is a right, yet with accelerating house prices hidden homelessness is growing. We can only create a social just and ecologically sustainable society if we tackle mortgage slavery which breeds workaholism and poverty by defending council housing and building anew."