§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the chief executive of Wandsworth council, Mr. Gerald Jones, on the report of Mr. Rowland Little, the appointed auditor for the council, on the council's housing, homeless, and temporary accommodation policies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThere have been no such discussions. This is a matter between the local authority and the district auditor.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present number of homeless families from the London borough of Wandsworth who have now been placed in bed-and-breakfast or temporary accommodation outside the borough.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe information requested is not available in the Department.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many council properties that have been sold in the London borough of Wandsworth in each year since 1980;
(2) how many local authority properties in the London borough of Wandsworth have been sold under the priority sales scheme in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesTables presenting latest available information on total sales of council homes reported by each local authority from 1979–80 to March 1994 are in the Library. These also show the number of sales made under right-to-buy legislation, but information collected on other sales does not identify individual schemes within a local authority.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority houses or flats were built in the London borough of Wandsworth in each year since 1980.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe publications "Housebuilding in England by Local Authority Area: 1980 to 1989" and "Local Housing Statistics" show estimates of housebuilding completions in local authority areas of London. They show completions by sector, including activity by local authorities.
"Housebuilding in England by Local Authority Area: 1980 to 1989" shows figures for the period 1980 to 1984. "Local Housing Statistics" shows figures for later years: Issue No. 103 covers the years 1985 to 1990; No. 105 covers 1991; No. 106 covers 1992; and No. 110 covers 1993. Copies of these publications are in the Library.
Local authorities' primary housing tasks are now the efficient management of their own stock of housing and enabling other organisations to provide new housing, and Housing associations are the main providers of new social housing.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the number of registered homeless families in the London borough of Wandsworth in each year since 1980.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe information requested is available in a table in the Library which summarises the reported data on homeless households accepted for permanent rehousing by each local authority in England for the years 1979 to 1993.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people were on the housing418W waiting lists in the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe annual housing investment programme—HIP—returns submitted by Wandsworth show the following numbers of households on their housing waiting lists on the 1 April in each of the last five years:
- 1990: 7,292
- 1991: 7,027
- 1992: 7,384
- 1993: 6,913
- 1994: 6,561
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the present number of empty council-owned properties in the London borough of Wandsworth;
(2) how many local authority properties in the London borough of Wandsworth are for sale.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe latest information held by my Department relates to dwellings vacant on 1 April 1994 when Wandsworth borough council reported a total of 615 vacant dwellings, of which 439 dwellings were to be sold. The data comes from its 1994 housing investment programme return, a copy of which is in the Library.