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While in Local Government, Margaret was the chair of Housing in Lewisham Council for 6 years, before becoming leader of the Council. She was also Chair of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities Housing Committee and Chair of the London Housing Unit for 6 years. She was a registered social landlord and Chief Executive of Housing for Women between 1992 and 1997, holding various Housing Management and Development posts with Family, London and Quadrant and South London Family Housing Associations.
Margaret then chaired the Parliamentary Labour Housing Group when she was elected to Parliament in 1997, and has continued to draw on her extensive experience in Housing.
Related Parliamentary Questions
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1 April 2008 | Read full question and answer on Hansard
Is my right hon. Friend aware that in my constituency the number of private empty homes has increased from 884 in 2001 to more than 1,500 in 2006-07? Is she also aware that the local authority has taken only four actions and is not using the powers that we have granted to tackle that problem? What can she do to ensure that local authorities are required to work in partnership with registered social landlords to enable those houses to be brought back into use for families in desperate need?
Caroline Flint (Minister of State: Housing): I thank my hon. Friend for bringing the position in Luton to my attention. As a Minister, I always think it is important to ask whether powers are available before devising new ones. If they are available but not used, my hon. Friend gives a good example of the Government’s role in asking why. I am happy to examine the matter in more detail. Clearly, I want to ensure that the orders that we provided can be used. If there is a reason that they cannot be used, I want to hear about it. However, simply not using them is no excuse.
Related Contributions to Debates in Parliament
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21 Jul 2008 | Read full debate on Hansard
Many of us hark back to the good old days of Parker Morris standards. We know that good design has been achieved in the past. Can my hon. Friend assure us that, if the Government purchase existing developments in order to meet our housing targets, those properties will meet high design standards, their quality will be no lower than we would expect of our affordable housing stock, and their design will last for generations, as it will need to?
31 Mar 2008 | Read full debate on Hansard
I agree with my hon. Friend that the debates in Committee were useful. One of them was about potentially amending some of the clauses dealing with domestic violence, on which he made some commitments. We tried to ensure in previous housing legislation that survivors of domestic violence would not be penalised through losing their homes and would be safeguarded under homelessness legislation, but we have apparently failed, because there is still a postcode lottery in provision and safety for them. Will my hon. Friend say briefly what he intends to do as a result of that discussion?
Iain Wright: I am glad that my hon. Friend has mentioned that. She is a champion of trying to prevent and minimise domestic violence, and the amendment that she and my hon. Friend Mr. Love tabled was important. I want to help as much as possible, and she will be aware of the meeting that we had last week. I am keen to pursue policy on the basis of evidence and for that reason was concerned about what was said in Committee about policy passporting and differing interpretations of the term “vulnerability”. I therefore agreed last week to work with her on a review to see to what extent that policy postcode lottery and that test of vulnerability apply to different parts of the country. I am keen to move forward on that, but I want to do it on the basis of clear evidence. I hope that she agrees with me and will co-operate with me on that basis.
As I say, I want to ensure that other hon. Members can contribute to the Third Reading debate. I look forward to handing the Bill on to the other place in a much improved state. I have been with it from its start and I am very proud of it. I commend it to the House.
