Councillor Alex Catt’s opinion piece on the council “losing” £6 million will have given many readers pause.
But the real issue isn’t the claim itself, it’s how partial and politically loaded it is.
Whilst Cllr Catt is entitled to his opinion, residents are entitled to the facts.
His article goes big on accusations but, like much of what we hear from the Greens, it is long on slogans and outrage, and short on facts and solutions.
Lion Homes was never a vanity project.
It was set up to do something Norwich badly needs and private developers too often fail to deliver: larger, greener, better quality and more affordable homes.
And it succeeded.
More than 200 families are living today in high-quality, sustainable homes that would not otherwise exist.
That is a real, tangible achievement for our city.
Cllr Catt would like residents to believe that Lion Homes has collapsed, leaving Norwich with a £6 million black hole.
This is deliberately misleading.
The reality is that any outstanding debt will be vastly reduced once the company’s significant assets are properly valued.
Far from being “wasted,” much of the money loaned to Lion Homes is tied up in bricks and mortar, and will be realised in due course.
Like similar housing companies across the country, Lion Homes has faced headwinds not of the council’s making.
A decade of Conservative austerity has stripped councils of the resources and certainty needed to build at scale.
Spiralling borrowing costs and a hostile planning system have only added to those pressures.
That is the real context for the closure of Lion Homes — not the simplistic story the Greens prefer to tell.
Cllr Catt calls loudly for transparency.
What he doesn’t mention is that at the last shareholder panel — the very body designed to scrutinise Lion Homes — he didn’t even turn up, didn’t send apologies, and left officers dispatched on a wild goose chase to track him down.
His commitment to good governance is about as meaningful as Cllr Calvert’s commitment to decent housing: it’s something we say, not necessarily something we do.
Add to that another Green councillor arrested just this week in a performative stunt on the steps of City Hall, and the question of who is really “chaotic” answers itself.
None of this is to suggest there aren’t lessons to learn.
Labour has always been clear that scrutiny and good governance are vital, particularly when public money is involved.
That is why we have taken the decision to insource Lion Homes — ensuring accountability is strengthened, responsibilities are clarified, and residents can be confident in how housing is delivered in Norwich.
At Cabinet recently, I proposed that we request full scrutiny and audit reviews so that we can build on the learning to date.
But it is also important to keep sight of the bigger picture.
Norwich faces a housing crisis, just as much as every other city.
Residents want homes they can afford, services they can rely on, and leadership that focuses on solutions rather than trading insults.
Labour is the only party in Norwich that is serious about delivery.
We are delivering ambitious plans at Anglia Square and East Norwich and driving improvements through Norwich City Services Ltd — because only Labour is serious about building a fairer, greener, more affordable and truly liveable city.
The Greens prefer press releases to responsibility.
Labour prefers getting on with the hard work of governing.
Norwich deserves nothing less.
*Carli Harper is the Norwich City Council cabinet member for finance and major projects.
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