February 2018

At this month’s Local Forum: Peter and Penelope present a joint talk on the 1986-1990 Aldworth Road Housing Action Area

They noted: “Just prior to its abolition the GLC (Greater London Council) invested millions” in a small area of Stratford now known as Stratford Village. Grants to house owners in the Aldworth Road area were distributed to residents to upgrade their properties as quickly as possible, generally installing bathrooms and roofs to ‘kick start’ housing improvement in substandard privately-owned dwellings. Peter was the Newham Housing Officer in the area at that time (1986-90), while Penelope, local resident and key player in the residents group promoted by the GLC, eventually got a seat on the Newham local area housing committee. They said “This talk takes us back to an era when government believed in intervening in failing housing markets in a decisive way through direct public subsidy. It is a remarkable story of confident and committed local government”. The Aldworth Road Housing Action Area office and meetings space was located at 56 Aldworth Road.

Alison