News / Politics
Mayor pledges affordable homes in auction row
Mayor George Ferguson has promised to use cash raised from the controversial sale of council homes to build more social housing in St Paul’s.
Fifteen former council homes are due to go under the hammer on Wednesday evening, with a protest planned outside a Clifton church where the auction is taking place.
Mayor candidates George Ferguson and Marvin Rees have already clashed over the sale which has been turned into a political football in the run-up to the mayoral elections on May 5.
Rees attacked the sale last month, arguing that the properties would be better off being refurbished and let to council tenants, or given to housing associations and charities.
But the current mayor accused Rees of “financial illiteracy”, pointing out that the estimated £2.25 million made from the sale of the dilapidated homes will be reinvested across the city, with at least 20 new homes in St Paul’s.
The sale comes as a political row over the move continued to deepen, with campaign group 38 Degrees being forced to stop promoting a petition calling for a halt to the sale.
A petition, signed and promoted by Rees, was then started on the 38 Degrees website by Green Party council candidate William Quick on behalf of tenants’ rights group Acorn.
But 38 Degrees, which is supposed to be a non-political campaign group, was forced to stop sharing the petition with members in Bristol and on social media.
In an email seen by Bristol24/7, 38 Degrees said: “At the time we sent out the email asking our members to support the campaign we were unaware of both William Quick’s relationship to the Green party, and how much Marvin Rees was trying to use this campaign to his political advantage.
“Had we known either of these things an email from us would not have gone out.”
In an official statement, 38 Degrees added that it supported the campaign in principle, but withdrew it’s promotion of it due to its non-party political base.
Bristol24/7 contacted Rees’ campaign and are awaiting a comment. He has promised to build 2,000 homes – 800 affordable – a year, if elected in May.
Quick, Green candidate for Bedminster, told Bristol24/7: “We’ve said from the start this is an issue that transcendences political parties, we’ve got supporters from across the political spectrum.”
Auctioneers Hollis Morgan said the planned sale would be going ahead as normal. Andrew Morgan said: “We have instructions to go ahead with the plans. It won’t be the first time we have had protests outside, but we are following instructions from our clients, Bristol City Council.”
Protesters are due to gather outside the auction at All Saints Church on Pempbrooke Road at 6pm.
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