Green Party candidates speak out publicly against the Haringey Development Vehicle

Ahead of the election, the two Green Party candidates running in Haringey - Jarelle Francis in Tottenham, and Sam Hall for Hornsey and Wood Green - have issued a statement about their strong opposition Haringey Development Vehicle.

As they point out, the two incumbent Labour MPs have been somewhat cagey about HDV. Here's what the Green candidates say:

"Our position on Labour’s plans for the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV) is very clear - we are wholly against it.
 
The HDV is a proposed transfer of £2bn worth of Council properties, both commercial and residential, into part-private ownership. This is being pushed through behind closed doors, with no vote of the full council and therefore no proper scrutiny by our elected councillors.

The effect on those in social housing transferred to the HDV may be devastating. In the name of regeneration, it is likely that tenants will be forced out of their homes and may have no right to return afterwards. This will rip apart the communities affected. Labour does not intend to give tenants a vote on whether they agree to this.

Financially, the HDV does not make sense. Labour’s chosen private partner is LendLease, a huge Australian property developer with a record of poor corporate behaviour and bad labour practices. They will want a profit, and any risk will have to be underwritten by us, the residents of Haringey. With a single large landlord in charge of large chunks of property in the borough, there is no guarantee that small local businesses will get any work from LendLease, harming local employment and the local economy.

Both Labour MPs have expressed concern about the HDV proposals but neither has said they are against. They are failing to stand up for local tenants and local businesses."

More details about the candidates on the Haringey Green Party website. https://haringey.greenparty.org.uk/