London councils are stepping up attempts to force homeless families out of the city
Families are warned that if they refuse the housing the council will consider them to have become ‘intentionally homeless’ and withdraw support [Image: Dan Atkin/Alamy/Alamy].
The BBC has made at least one documentary about attempts to force families out of the capital – and that was a considerable time ago.
No doubt those in charge of the authorities in question will make whatever claim seems appropriate to them, but this Guardian article points the finger at the real, underlying reason:
These councils no longer want to help the homeless; they simply want to reduce their list of homeless people – by artificial means.
A Tory government will let them get away with it, too – after all, it means London is rid of a few more poor people, making more room for the super-rich.
Instead, government should be legislating to ensure that councils cater for the genuine needs of their constituents.
But then, that would create a precedent that a Tory government could never follow.
A handful of London councils are making aggressive use of legal powers to make “take or leave it” offers of housing in locations far away from the capital in an attempt to permanently resettle hundreds of homeless families.
Officials are giving households 24 hours to accept private rented homes in the West Midlands, Essex and the south-east, warning that if they refuse the council will consider them to have become “intentionally homeless” and withdraw support.
Research seen by the Guardian suggests half of offers made by 28 councils in locations in the West Midlands, more than 100 miles from London, are rejected, suggesting that many families are prepared to risk becoming homeless again rather than be uprooted from jobs and family support networks.
Campaigners say some councils’ policy of offering homes several hours travel distance from the capital, despite evidence that most families will reject them as unsuitable for their needs, suggests that their priority is to reduce the size of the homeless list rather than genuinely help families.
In one case, Brent council offered a three-bedroomed private rented property in Telford, Shropshire to 11 homeless London families over a 12-month period. All refused or were deemed to have refused the property without viewing it. Nine of the families had jobs in the capital, and all had at least two children in local schools.
Source: London councils trying to force homeless families out of capital | Society | The Guardian
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It’s also cheaper to house families out side london because the rents in london are so high and most council houses were sold so only private rented accommodation is available! Croydon council are the same when I asks for help, I work in London but prices are too high for me! I could be homeless very soon!
One has to wonder how London will be able to continue if it keeps housing the rich rather than those at the bottom of the pile, because rich bankers etc can’t drive buses or tube trains, don’t work in shops hotels etc and it is this group that make up the majority of the workforce not the filthy rich.
… and the worst offenders are Labour councils, Brent and Newham although according to the link article, other Labour LA’s are waiting to see how these trail-blazers get on. This may be because their behaviour is, at least border-line illegal. Worse, it is the cynical exploitation of the vulnerability of people insecurely housed, overcrowded or in temporary accommodation.
The good old name for it is ethnic clenching
Cleansing, I thought.