Tories in Milton Keynes have blasted a Labour decision to scrap a project that could have meant the demolition of seven housing estates in the city.
Earlier this week a Labour cabinet member decided to put the final nail in the coffin of YourMK, a heavily criticised joint venture between the council and housing company Mears.
Cllr Alex Walker (Cons, Stantonbury) said, after Tuesday’s delegated decision: “This is a real stain on Labour’s record in administration.
“The regeneration programme was supposed to be an ambitious project that would have provided the opportunity of a better life to the most deprived estates in MK.
“They will no longer get that opportunity because Labour have ripped it away from them, instead prioritising political infighting to the real needs of our residents.”
The Conservative group’s view is that whenever the issue was put to the vote, in the Lakes Estate in Bletchley, or more recently at Fullers Slade, residents have overwhelmingly supported wholesale regeneration.
“Residents relished the thought of a programme that would transform their living standards,” the Conservatives said in a statement.
Differences in approaches to regeneration have deepened a chasm between the two political parties in the council chamber.
Former housing chief Cllr Nigel Long and other Labour councillors said people did not want their homes to be demolished, and the prospect caused much distress.
The decision by Cllr Emily Darlington (Lab, Bletchley East) to axe the partnership was made behind closed doors because background papers contained financial details.
Before taking the meeting into closed session Cllr Darlington, who holds the council’s housing portfolio, said YourMK had slowed down the regeneration process.
It had only delivered 29 new homes when the city “is needing over 1,000 to meet demand.”
She said the council’s ambitions included looking at jobs, public health, and antisocial behaviour.
“YourMK’s limited focus was on housing,” she said.
And a report to Cllr Darlington said work on Fullers Slade was paused following opposition to the way in which YourMK was attempting to progress its regeneration programme.
The public had perceived a “focus on demolition at the expense of community engagement and the wider economic and health benefits of regeneration,” the report said.
YourMK was so heavily criticised that in July 2018 the council took powers off the partnership.
Council officers see this week’s decision as pressing the reset button on housing investment.
“Dissolving YourMK will help create a sense of renewal in itself by signalling a change in the delivery model to one that truly puts local residents and communities at the heart of decisions about their area,” said a report to Cllr Darlington.
At a meeting of the community and housing scrutiny committee on Wednesday, Cllr Walker said the new approach would be more difficult to scrutinise as a whole because it was about repairs and maintenance, health and employment.
And the true blue leader added: “I just put a red flag here.”
