Cllr Chris Myers has published an open letter calling on Peabody Housing Association to immediately stop selling social housing in Potters Bar — and to work with Hertsmere Borough Council to transfer these homes back into public or housing association ownership.
In his letter, Cllr Myers says Peabody has a moral duty to ensure that any properties it no longer wishes to keep are retained for the purpose they were originally intended when local housing stock was first transferred to organisations like Peabody.
Cllr Myers said:
“Selling these homes into the private market to the highest bidder removes them from social housing forever and shuts the door on families and individuals who desperately need them. Anything less than keeping them in social use is a betrayal of the trust placed in Peabody and the communities they serve.”
The open letter makes clear that this is not a party-political statement or a formal policy briefing, but a personal and “heartfelt” response from an elected representative who has seen first-hand the impact of Hertsmere’s housing crisis.
Cllr Myers added:
“Over the past few years, I have supported residents who have been on waiting lists for years, families living in overcrowded or unsuitable homes, and individuals stuck in temporary accommodation with no clear end in sight. The very homes Peabody has sold are the ones I have had residents pleading with me to help them access. To learn they have been sold off — at a time of unprecedented demand — is genuinely heartbreaking. And to be blunt, I am absolutely livid.”
He describes Peabody’s decision as “abandoning its social purpose” and urges the association to “step aside and let others fulfil it” if it cannot protect and grow local social housing stock.
The full open letter has been sent directly to Peabody’s leadership and is available below.
