§ 58. Mrs. Jegerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many residential tenancies on the site originally designated for the National Library in Bloomsbury remain under the ownership or control of his Department; what proposals he has for the future ownership of these homes; what rent increases he is proposing meanwhile for these tenants; and why.
§ Mr. MarksThere are 172 residential tenancies on the Bloomsbury Estate owned or controlled by the Department; 47 of these are in fact let to the London borough of Camden and 171 are surplus to Government requirements. Camden is buying 161 of them and may acquire another five. The remaining ones will be sold on the open market subject to existing tenancies.
The rents proposed are comparable with similar neighbourhood properties and were arrived at in consultation with the local rent officer.
The reason for the increases is that the Government decided to carry out a review during 1978 of all the rents of their residential properties throughout the United Kingdom. This is part of that general review.