Vermin-infested 'social housing' in the constituency of an MP who is a private landlord

Please note: Since publishing this blog post, I've received e-mail response from the MP cited, to a letter I wrote Hereford Times about the matter:

Dear Alan

Thank you for copying me in on your email.  Of course I very much share your concerns that the quality of local housing should be as high as possible. But it is not true that I am a "Landlord MP". My wife and I used to have a flat which was let for a few years but we no longer do.

Yours sincerely,

Jesse [Norman]

 None the less, I would point out that Jesse Norman is a Conservative MP, and current UK Conservative Government is deeply involved with global privatisation of UK social housing.

Alan Wheatley

---

An herefordtimes.com site search of keywords

"herefordshire housing ltd" rats [1]

records instances of rats in empty homes in Beattie Avenue, Hereford, dating back to at least May 2019. What makes the Hereford Times, Thursday October 11, 2019 print edition front page story 'Rats run riot: Empty homes are "crawling with vermin"' regarding these keywords stand out though, is photographic evidence of

"rats so bold that [a street resident] was even able to take a picture of them in a garden in broad daylight."[2]

Hereford Times, Oct 10, 2019 lead story, with photo caption:
"Neighbour Julie Dutton, inset, says unoccupied homes in Beattie Avenue, Hereford are infested.
Picture: Rob Davies"

while the Hereford Times article reports that

"Herefordshire Housing tenants say rats are spreading through the boarded-up properties, burrowing under the occupied homes and entering their gardens in search for food...."

 

 Herefordshire Housing Ltd "supporting 'customers' to achieve their potential for sustainable wellbeing and independence"?

Perhaps if Herefordshire Housing Ltd were a restaurant, public health inspectors would order it closed down? But

"Herefordshire Housing provides homes to people across Herefordshire, managing and maintaining over 5800 homes. We are a not for profit housing association that aims to support and challenge individuals, families and communities to achieve their potential for sustainable wellbeing and independence"[3]

and in an era in which social housing has been privatised, describes tenants as "customers":

"We have been working with pest control agencies who have provided us and our customers with safety advice to support them and alleviate their concerns specific to their circumstances."[4]

The Parliamentary constituency concerned is Hereford & South Herefordshire, where the MP is Jesse Norman (Conservative). Jesse Norman is one the "one in five" MPs who are private landlords.[5]

Meanwhile, a 6 x A5 page leaflet from Bloor Homes distributed to my home about half a mile from Beattie Avenue proclaims on its cover:

WHAT IS IT THEY SAY?

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE (5 YEARS INTEREST) FREE.

MAKE AN EFFORTLESS MOVE TO HEREFORD POINT

wherein lies

"2 and 3 bedroom new homes from £224,950" at "5% deposit. 5 year interest free loan. A brand new home. All with Help to Buy*.
[* refers to the small print at the back of the leaflet]

"You've found it: the perfect new home, in a location you love.
A wonderful 2 or 3 bedroom one just like our new homes at Hereford Point.
So how do you make one of them yours?

"By using the Help to Buy scheme and having a 5% deposit.
After that, it's simply a case of moving in and getting your new home looking exactly as you've imagined.
And that's the best bit.

"Get in touch today to find out how Help to Buy can help you."

Money Week describes 'Help to Buy' as "a crazy subsidy for housing developers."[6]

Questions arising from all this:

1. What budget has Herefordshire Housing Ltd at its disposal for property maintenance so that they can address the problems arising from the empty, boarded up, vermin-infested prefabs in Beattie Avenue?
2. How much taxpayers money has helped boost property developers' and private landlords' profits in Herefordshire?
3. Is it okay that landlord MPs have a big say in the development of housing-related government policies, such as how 'affordable rent' is defined?
4. Can a landlord MP really represent the best interests of constituents who cannot afford to benefit from 'Help to Buy' or even nominally 'affordable rents'?

Reference Notes

1. https://www.herefordtimes.com/search/?search=%22herefordshire+housing+ltd%22+rats
2. https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/17965358.empty-homes-street-crawling-rats/
3. https://www.hhl.org.uk/about
4. Hereford Times, Thursday, October 10, 2019, 'Rats run riot: Empty homes are crawling with vermin' lead story  
5. https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/almost-one-in-five-mps-are-landlords
6.