Government Refuses Full Police Funding Request For Grenfell Investigation

The government has refused to fully meet a special request for funding towards the Grenfell Tower police investigation despite approving all others made last year. While the request for additional funding for the probe into the 2017 disaster was considerably higher than others lodged by the Metropolitan Police politicians said the decision was causing further delays and accused the Home Office of “denying justice”. It comes amid growing anger over the lack of progress into the investigation of the Grenfell tragedy. More than a year and a half on from the tragedy, no arrests have been made and only three interviews have so far been carried out. Read more on the Independent website.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-met-police-funding-royal-wedding-security-trump-visit-madeleine-mccann-a8786456.html

Police ‘Fail To Act’ As Tenants Are Illegally Thrown Out

A charity working to stop illegal evictions has urged the Metropolitan police to give its officers better training after they failed to arrest a landlord who allegedly forced his way into a family’s home with a crowbar and tried to drag them down the stairs.  Roz Spencer of Safer Renting, an advice service for tenants backed by four London boroughs, said people were being evicted illegally every week in most British towns and cities, but the police nearly always failed to treat it as a crime. “We would like the police to understand that it is a criminal offence to kick someone out without a possession order,” she said. “Their job is to intervene when a crime has taken place.” Read more on the Observer website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jun/09/police-fail-to-act-private-rent-tenants-illegally-evicted-landlords-harassment-threats

Council First To Prioritise Police Officers for Housing

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has become the first in the country to give serving police officers priority for intermediate housing. The Conservative-led council will give police officers a higher priority on a waiting list for low cost home ownership schemes from April. The council argues that it is ‘crucially important for police officers to live in the community’. A spokesperson said the borough’s high house prices mean many first time buyers find it difficult to raise a deposit. Read more on Inside Housing.

Campaigners Call in Police

Campaigners have called police alleging that a council broke the law by offering tenants priority for new homes in return for supporting a controversial regeneration scheme.  A campaigner opposed to Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s plan to demolish two estates as part of a regeneration scheme has handed in a dossier of evidence at Fulham police station.  In the dossier there are accounts from 22 witnesses, whose names have been redacted, stating they were offered priority for new homes on condition they support the regeneration plans. The campaigner said he will supply police with the names if required to. Consultation results published by the council in April showed that 215 secure council tenants on the estates said they were opposed to the plans out of 331 responses.  Read more on Inside Housing.