Number Of Homeless Households Moved Out Of London Soars

The number of households being moved out of London by councils has increased dramatically, rising by almost 50% in the first half of this year as town hall leaders blame rising homelessness, tightening public finances and a chronic lack of new cheap homes in the capital. Councils have sent homeless households as far away as Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff in the last year, according to figures collected by local authorities and seen by the Guardian. Seven hundred and 40 households have been relocated to Kent, 574 to Essex, 30 to the West Midlands and 69 to Surrey. More than 1,200 households were sent out of the capital in the first six months of this year – a 46% rise in the number of out-of-London placements. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/29/number-of-homeless-households-moved-out-of-london-soars

Policy Of Moving Homeless Out Of The Area Spreads

London councils have been moving homeless families out of the capital for some time and now it appears the policy is spreading across the country.  The policy was a result of cuts to housing benefit, soaring house prices and a lack of social housing. It mean local authorities in the capital have been moving homeless people to places like Luton or Milton Keynes and even further afield to cities like Birmingham and Nottingham. Not only is this incredibly difficult for the families moved away from their homes and support networks - it also has a knock on effect on the areas they arrive in. Many of the receiving towns now face a housing crisis of their own. Read more on politics.co.uk

10-Year Wait For A Council House

At least 104,000 people in Britain have been on waiting lists for council-owned or ALMO homes, and at least 35,000 have been on the same waiting lists for 10 years. The research was compiled by the Liberal Democrats from 158 councils. It comes after one of Britain’s richest boroughs – where some face waiting 25 years for a four-bed social home – announced new plans to move homeless families out of the capital. Westminster City Council, which has had 779 people on waiting lists for a decade, admitted it must make ‘difficult choices’ to cut spiralling spending on temporary accommodation. Read more on 24housing.

Top Architect Blasts 'Free-Riding' Tenants Living In Council Houses In Central London

A top London architect has called for “free-riding” council tenants to be moved out of central London and for affordable housing to be abolished. In a hugely controversial speech Patrik Schumacher, director and principal of Zaha Hadid Architects, also praised London’s foreign second home owners “even if they’re here only for a few weeks” and suggested that “80 per cent of Hyde Park” should be built over.  In his incendiary address to the World Architecture Festival in Berlin he said London’s housing crisis was the result of “intellectually bankrupt” planning departments and said only the free market can provide “housing for everyone.” He said that social housing tenants in gentrifying inner city areas should not expect to be able to carry on living in central London when their council estates are demolished and should be replaced by more “productive” residents - such as his own staff. Read more on the Evening Standard website.

Cameron’s Talk Of ‘Sink Estates’ Hides The Reality Behind Council Housing

David Cameron has unveiled the newest target of Tory policy- so-called ‘sink estates’. According to the PM, such estates need to be emptied and demolished, with little thought as to the communities that live there and where they will be re-housed- or what will replace them. This narrative stigmatises those living in social housing in the same way that his government has consistently stigmatised those on benefits. Rather than attacking tenants directly, Cameron is instead attacking the supposed conditions in which they live, allowing his rhetoric to pass as benevolent social reform rather than the continued ideologically driven undermining of the British welfare state.  Cameron was unable to guarantee that tenants forced to move due to redevelopment would be rehoused in their local area, let alone in the actual developments that replace existing estates. By invoking the spectre of the sink estate he attempted to pass off social cleansing as an opportunity for social mobility. Read more on the Independent website.