Several years ago, the Wandsworth Guardian published a short letter from me about how Wandsworth housing department had floated the prospect on one of its housing forms, tick box: Thames Gateway? Since then, all has gone quiet.

Have national Government initiatives on regeneration of brownfield sites east of the capital gone slower than expected? Or are councils like Wandsworth not allowed to invest its own capital into buying long term leases for its most needy residents?

Whatever the answer then it is only a temporary solution by asking people to move to the Midlands, which many would say “yes” too, if they had a cast iron solid guarantee by the council – that as homes came available in the Thames Gateway zone, they had first offer of refusal to move into them.

DAVID EVANS