Pressure on the Government to provide funding promised to improve Lambeth’s deteriorating social housing stock was stepped up with a visit to Streatham by shadow housing minister Jon Healey last Tuesday.

Mr Healey MP visited the Valley Road estate, one of many estates in the borough desperate for £230m of decent homes funding.

The coalition is due to announce at its October spending review whether it will deliver funding agreed by the last Government.

It was promised the cash if the arms length management organisation Lambeth Living managing its housing reached a two star Audit Commission rating.

The £230m is considered enough to bring the substandard homes in Lambeth's 33,000 property housing stock up to standard – being warm, weatherproof and in a decent state of repair.

Recent figures showed 49 per cent of the homes did not meet the standard.

Streatham MP Chuka Umunna showed Mr Healey around the estate.

He said:“Estates like Valley Road are a perfect example of the investment still needed to bring homes up to an acceptable standard.

“My constituents deserve warm, safe, decent homes in which to live and raise their families and without the vital decent homes funding this simply isn’t attainable.

“Residents have already waited too long for the homes they deserve and it is simply not acceptable that this money may now be withdrawn.”