Housing covenant numbers revealed

3:20pm Friday 28th September 2012 in Falmouth/Penryn Photograph of the Author By Greg Fountain, Reporter/Photographer

Six weeks after the debacle of Falmouth council houses being sold off for student accommodation was first exposed, Cornwall Council have finally confirmed the scale of the fiasco.

Cornwall Housing Limited, the council-owned company charged with managing and maintaining council houses, have released figures showing 39 homes were sold under restrictive covenant between 2003 and 2008.

These covenants are legally binding promises that were designed to prevent social housing stock from being used “for student or holiday letting purposes.”

Yet the council refuses to say what, if any, action it has taken to enforce the covenants – claiming it does not hold the records in answer to the Packet’s Freedom of Information request.

Town councillor David Sterratt first brought this issue to the attention of under fire Cornwall Council leader Alec Robertson in an open letter on August 15. Cornwall councillor for Trescobeas, Dave Saunby, then quizzed cabinet member Mark Kaczmarek over the covenants the week afterwards.

Neither request was met with a satisfactory answer at the time although Mr Kaczmarek, who is the portfolio holder for housing and planning, did promise Mr Saunby a “definitive response” after he had met with Cornwall Council’s housing team and the legal department.

Neither Mr Kaczmarek nor Mr Saunby was available for comment at the time of going to press.

Comments(21)

THORQUIP says...
6:42pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Lte's stop this now. What's done is done. Students in further education are this country's life blood. We should be supporting them as much as we can instead of ploughing money into schemes such as those for ex-offenders and the like. If students felt we valued them more than jailbirds perhaps they would reciprocate.

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Gill Zella Martin says...
7:54am Mon 1 Oct 12

I completely agree with THORQUIP.
Perhaps Falmouth Town Councillors should additionally be reminded that it was in fact themselves that voted in favour for a gentleman to convert a property into student accommodation in 2010.

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DCI Jen says...
12:21pm Mon 1 Oct 12

Sounds to me like all this anti student attitude is to try to gain votes in the next council elections. Nobody mentioned covenants before, and the current town councillors surely have had at least the last 3 years to mention it. Even if you turned the students out of any houses i doubt first time buyers would be able to afford those size houses anyway.

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Bess Trecoa says...
2:40pm Mon 1 Oct 12

Do none of the Falmouth town councillors have children that have been to or going to any university.

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steve eva says...
6:52pm Mon 1 Oct 12

I read with interest the replies to this story and the continued persecution of students by the Town Council.
Even though i do not believe that ex-council houses should be used for student accomodation one might ask why was the question asked of how many houses which are still owned by the Council occupied by single people living alone. There are many houses occupied by one person taking up 3-4bedroom properties this should be looked at.
I myself did buy a ex-council house on the open market and rented it back to the council for the last 9years but i have just had to request it back as my son needs somewhere for himself,girlfriend and baby to live in.

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steve eva says...
6:55pm Mon 1 Oct 12

whoops should have said why was it not asked.

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DCI Jen says...
7:47am Tue 2 Oct 12

Chasing up the issue of under occupied council houses by the town council instead of student occupied housing possibly wouldn't win as many votes in the next council elections.

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Lanty Slee says...
11:56am Tue 2 Oct 12

It being that you're _supposedly_ a Cornwall councillor for Falmouth Steve, why don't YOU ask the question how many "3-4 bedroom properties" which are "still owned by the Council occupied by single people living alone"??

You'd probably get a lot further in your enquiries than the town council, who seem to be routinely ignored.

If it's such a big issue, surely it's something you should be looking into??

And for what it's worth, I don't agree with THORQUIP - these are legally binding promises that Cornwall Council should uphold.

Shame on them for pandering to the university and its tax-free student freeloaders at every turn.

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Bess Trecoa says...
2:32pm Tue 2 Oct 12

Lanty Slee are you a town councillor?

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Bess Trecoa says...
2:38pm Tue 2 Oct 12

Lanty Slee, you refer to all students as tax-free freeloaders, they only benefit from the rules/things that are put in place by the government or council's. The students didn't make the rules.

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Lanty Slee says...
6:08pm Tue 2 Oct 12

I'm not a town councillor, no - but I have been to town council meetings in the past and I have seen, heard and read how the profligate backslappers at Cornwall Council dismiss town councillors out of hand.

Not only that, but the high-ups at New County Hall simultaneously dump things on local councils that they don't want to dirty their hands with (see the absolute shambles over the public toilets as just one example of this.)

And you're right, the students didn't make the rules.

I don't blame the students.

I blame Cornwall Council.

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Bess Trecoa says...
8:21pm Tue 2 Oct 12

I heard a rumour in the town that a town councillor's son has bought a house and is renting it out to students while he lives with her, if that is true i wonder how serious the town council are when they go on about too much student housing, and then that makes me wonder, are they really bothered about the covenants or is just something to get at Cornwall Council for, or is all political with elections coming up. If the rumour is true then it seems they are preaching one thing and then condoning what they are preaching against.
Lanty Slee, do you work for the Packet? if you do perhaps you could find out if it is just a rumour.

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D. Sterratt says...
8:47pm Tue 2 Oct 12

I have read the above comments and need to clear up some points. The reason I brought up the issue of covenants at this time was from my wife mentioning the cost of rentals of ex council houses in the Packet, which got me thinking about potential covenants. The first time I thought of it. Cornwall Councilors could have found out the information a lot easier than me in the previous 3 years
There seem to be some .people who think it is a vote winning ploy on my part. That would be a bit strange as it is well known I am not standing again for election.
The under occupation of council houses was mentioned. As far as I am aware, council house tenants now have to pay more for empty rooms, a government initiative.
Councillor Eva brings up about the persecution of students. He has never been a student I have been a full time student for 6 years and part time for another 7, so there is no persecution on my part, only an attempt to conserve our affordable housing stock for local people. Something he agrees on one hand and moans about on the other.

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Bess Trecoa says...
9:01pm Tue 2 Oct 12

I happened to mean an election ploy, fighting against student housing in general not the covenants in particular. If the town council are that bothered about the increasing student occupation of properties then according to rumour maybe they should look a little closer to home.

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Bess Trecoa says...
9:18pm Tue 2 Oct 12

"An attempt to preserve our affordable housing stock for local people"

Are ex council houses still affordable housing stock then? do they have a covenant on them when they are sold that they then cannot be sold on for profit at a later date? All the ones i have seen for sale are not affordable to most first time buyers.

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DCI Jen says...
6:56am Wed 3 Oct 12

Mr Sterratt are you the same person that posts on here as falmouthborn ? Because he stated on a post once that he had a lifetime in accountancy and seeing as you are on the finance committee on the town council and you state you were a student, i thought perhaps you may be the same person. Coincidentally you both seem to have the same style of expression in writing. With reference to covenants, i just think the whole student housing issue is debatable, on the one hand you have certain town councillors moaning about students and housing and covenants then you have the rumour about a town councillors son buying and renting to students. Shouldn't the town council be addressing issues in the community as a united body. If they cant agree on the student issue i am glad they did not submit a bid to run the entertainment on the pier.

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ucsweb says...
11:02am Wed 3 Oct 12

I wonder how many people that comment on here are actually affected by the housing / student issue.
Student behaviour is a different problem to lack of housing. I put the housing problem down to the people / councillors who supported the university not bothering to make sure there would be proper support or an accomodation infrastructure for the influx of students into the area. As the student numbers increase by the thousand less homes are available for the people who work and pay council tax here. So we have less people paying to support the costs (Emergency services, waste collection etc.) of housing the students. A proper expansion plan should have been put to the public before now and solutions sought.
We are the ones who have to pay the price of an uncontrolled population increase.
As the university expands, without residents input, this problem increases with it. Before long Falmouth and Penryn will experience all the problems that Newquay have had, with drugs, drink and fighting. After special measures, Newquay are now getting control of the town back. Do we have to get that bad before the people in power sort this out?

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Bess Trecoa says...
1:34pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Not all drink/drugs/violence issues are caused by students.

Like with students lets, second homes left empty for most of the year are not contributing to the local economy either. Some other towns may not have student lets but they have a greater percentage of second homes than Falmouth has in comparison with the size of the towns.
I have noisy neighbours, but that's life.

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DCI Jen says...
2:45pm Wed 3 Oct 12

ucsweb, no i am not affected by student behaviour like in Newquay, but then the article is about housing, so no i am not affected personally in as much as i do have somewhere to live now, but i was a student for several years so wanted to comment on the article. How many people commented on the stadium for Cornwall issue and how many of those will actually be affected if it goes ahead or does not go ahead, likewise, the incinerator issue etc. People will still comment just because they may not live next door to students or be looking for a house to rent/buy etc. The article and comments also now raise issues about the town council and i do have an interest in what the town council do in the town as most people here probably have, even those that do not live in the town but work here.I do sypathise with anyone affected directly by the housing problems but then maybe the town council have divided interests, so how will that help. I think the town council needs to stand in unity to solve any local issues. There is a lack of affordable housing to buy or rent throughout the county not just Falmouth.

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D. Sterratt says...
10:08am Thu 4 Oct 12

Dear DCIJen I am not an accountant I have a Doctorate in Physics and Engineering qualifications. You do not need any finacial training to be a Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.In the same way you dont need to be trained in planning or architecture to be Chair of Planning.
I am not Falmouthborn. I am a Liberal Democrat and would not be extolling the virtues of any Independent councilor or singing the praises of Sarah Newton on this forum as Falmouthborn has done regularly.
Regarding the point of a councilors son buying a house for student rental, that is their choice. Councilors can't be responsible for the actions of their family.
The point about the Council not addressing issues as a united body, you are totally wrong. The Town Council is a very unified body and has made great strides over the past 2 years. The problem we have is that the Cornwall Council is so badly run that whatever we do we run into problems with them
You talk about the pier, we have been in discussions with Cornwall Council for years about that, but they would not respond. That is not an isolated incident.They only answer when the local press is involved The Town Council has a track record with working with the Community successfully. Kimberley Park and Trescobeas are examples of that.
A lot of the problems people talk about on here are in the domain of Cornwall Council, not the Town Council.

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DCI Jen says...
7:28pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Dr Sterratt, whilst I take some of your points made, the person with the username falmouthborn does not extoll the virtues of any Independent councillor, in fact quite the opposite, they frequently refer to Independents as being "More Tory" and frequently criticise named Independents. Comments falmouthborn has made in the past clearly show an anti Conservative/Indepen
dent leaning.

You say councillors cannot be responsible for the actions of their families, that may be true, but it hardly puts the town council in a very good light to say they are against any more student housing and want an article 4 directive, if a town councillor then lets her son live with her while he rents a property out that he has to students. In my opinion it makes the mockery of the town council fighting to student accommodation issue.

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