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DON'T THEY CARE ABOUT THE POOR
City Hall accused of snub as it plans to spend £7m
on one-bedroom flats
CITY Hall has been accused of waging a “vendetta” against Westminster’s most vulnerable families following the revelation that housing chiefs have pledged £7million to buy up one-bedroom flats.
While the borough faces an overcrowding crisis the likes of which has not been seen since Victorian times and thousands of families wait for a council home, the decision to purchase 30 flats has enraged opposition leaders.
Working under a discounted rent scheme on a five-year agreement, the properties will be set aside for people earning more than £20,000 who can’t afford to live in central London.
Figures released by the council reveal that at least 867 desperate families are waiting to transfer to a larger property, and more than 2,000 are living in temporary accommodation such as bed and breakfasts – making Westminster the second most overcrowded borough in the capital.
Labour housing spokesman Guthrie McKie said it represents a clear statement of Conservative priorities. He described the situation as ?the start of an immoral social engineering project to do away with “the poor”.
Councillor McKie said the money should be used to buy up two and three-bedroom properties for some of the families forced to live in claustrophobic conditions.
The flats will be paid for by a combination of government money through the Homes and Community Agency, and funds clawed back in planning agreements with developers.
Rents will be around the £120 a week mark. It will initially be a pilot scheme and if successful made a fixture of future housing purchases.
The council says the scheme represents one strand of a larger housing strategy and in no way means they are ignoring families. Cllr McKie said: “I think the Conservatives have got a vendetta against families with housing needs. It is the beginning of social engineering and to me it says they don’t care about the poor.
“Why are they buying one-bedroom flats when everyone knows the biggest need is for two, three, four-bedroom flats? People in their 20s have always got by in the middle of London. I don’t think market rent prices them out.
“What hope do the 860 families living in overcrowded conditions have of a decent home if the Conservatives refuse to buy the right size flats? Overcrowded families deserve an answer from those at City Hall are responsible for this crazy decision.”
He added: “This is at a time when the council has failed, again, to meet the targets to house families living in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation. This clearly shows that families living in the most difficult of situation are not a priority for Westminster Council.”
The council denies it is ignoring the overcrowding situation. It has pledged to rehouse 1,000 families living in cramped conditions within the next five years. It is also refurbishing three of the most deprived estates in the borough – the Brunel, Tollgate and Ebury Bridge estates in Westbourne Park, Maida Vale and Pimlico.
The pilot scheme was unveiled at Wednesday night’s Health and Community Services and Scrutiny committee meeting. Housing chief Councillor Philippa Roe said: “First of all we are by no means ruling out extending the scheme to two and three-bed flats.
“Also, this has nothing to do with getting rid of social housing. It won’t be affected by this. What we have in central London is a shortage of flats for people who do important jobs in the borough meaning we have a huge polarisation. Either you need to live in social housing or you earn £65,000 or more. People like teachers and bus drivers who are key to our communities cannot get on the housing ladder. These flats are intermediary, so people can access housing in Westminster.” |
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