Brent opposition groups focus on responses to the housing crisis in motions to Full Council

 

Brent Renters demonstration at the Civic Centre, October 2024

 

With the housing crisis deepening Liberal Democrats and Greens both bring motions to Full Council on November 16th seeking support for actions to ease the crisis:

  

Lib Dem Group motion

 

Making Better Use of Empty Homes in Brent

 

This Council notes:

 

 Brent is facing a housing crisis. Thousands of residents are waiting for a council or social home, meanwhile many families live in overcrowded accommodation, temporary accommodation or homes that do not meet their needs.

 

 At the same time, council homes can sit empty for months waiting for repairs, inspections or other processes. There are currently at least 150 vacant council- owned properties - including 8 that have remained empty for a year or more –

and it is unclear whether this number includes properties within the portfolios of i4B and First Wave Housing.

 

 Homes must be safe and brought up to the right standard before new tenants move in. But leaving homes empty for longer than necessary is unacceptable.

 

 Every council home sitting empty represents a missed opportunity to provide a secure and affordable home to Brent residents. It places pressure on the Council's housing waiting list and can increase reliance on expensive temporary

accommodation.

 

 Southwark Council has recently announced a task force to tackle its backlog of empty council homes, focusing on identifying delays and getting properties back into use more quickly. Brent should examine this approach and identify what can

be applied locally.

 

 Brent cannot solve the housing crisis overnight. New homes take time to plan and build, but bringing empty homes back into use is something the Council can act on now. Making better use of the homes we already own must be a priority.

 

This Council therefore believes that:

 

 Empty council homes should be brought back into use as quickly as possible, without compromising safety, compliance or quality standards.

 

 Unnecessarily long void periods represent a missed opportunity to provide a home to Brent residents in housing need.

 

 Delays caused by repairs, procurement, inspections, administration or other Council processes should be identified and reduced wherever possible.

 

 Bringing larger family homes and properties suitable for households with the greatest housing need back into use should be prioritised where appropriate.

 

This Council therefore calls on Cabinet to:

 

(1) Publish details of all void council-owned housing stock – including current void time, property size, and repair work required.

(2) Consider establishing an empty homes task force to tackle the backlog, coordinate services and speed up the return of vacant homes.

(3) Set clear targets for reducing the time council homes remain empty between tenancies, with attention to prolonged vacancies.

(4) Review repairs, procurement, inspections and other processes to identify unnecessary delays and address recurring causes.

(5) Prioritise larger family homes and properties suitable for households with the greatest housing need, consistent with allocations policies and property suitability.

(6) Examine the approach taken by Southwark and other London boroughs and adopt good practice that can help Brent get homes back into use faster.

(7) Report regularly to Cabinet and Full Council on the number of empty council homes, average void periods, prolonged vacancies and progress in reducing unnecessary delays.

(8) Make reducing the number and length of unnecessary council home voids a priority within Brent's response to the housing crisis.

 

Councillor Anton Georgiou

Alperton Ward

 

 

 

Green Group Motion

 

Building Better: Bringing Quality, Public Ownership and Community Value to Housing

 

This Council Notes:

 

 Brent Council has responded to a national housing crisis with intensive development, completing more homes than any other local authority in 2026.

 

 Brent Council has recently changed its social housing allocation policy to attempt to tackle growing demand and dwindling social housing supply, alongside the adoption of national planning reforms that reduce local democratic input.

 

 Despite significant public investment, ‘regenerated’ housing in Wembley and Kilburn remains unaffordable to Brent residents and routinely riddled with major construction defects.

 

 Brent Council recently allowed 143 newly built homes in South Kilburn to be sold directly to private equity to preserve the project’s “financial viability.”

 

This Council Believes:

 

 A philosophy of building as much and as quickly as possible and tinkering with planning laws and allocations schemes will not address the root causes of the housing crisis.

 

 A new approach to housing in Brent is required that considers housing and land ownership, build quality, and wider social benefit, and doesn’t treat housing as a speculative investment asset.

 

 Stronger safeguards and incentive realignments are required to ensure new housing developments deliver high-quality homes, long-term community benefit and genuine affordability.

 

 Providing social housing and protecting biodiverse green spaces are complementary objectives and should not be treated as competing priorities.

 

 Publicly owned land and assets should be used in ways that maximise long-term public value and community benefit.

 

 Community-led housing can and should play a significant role in delivering affordable and sustainable housing, as an alternative to public-private partnerships.

 

 Residents have a right to safe, healthy, climate resilient and well-maintained homes. Poor-quality construction carries unacceptable costs for residents and public finances.

 

This Council Resolves to:

 

(1) Call on the Government to introduce new council powers including reforming Right to Buy, long-term social housebuilding funding and resourcing councils to acquire long-term vacant residential properties and integrate them into the social

housing supply and measures to treat housing principally as a place to live rather  than as a financial asset.

 

(2) Request that Cabinet: [typo on Council website corrected]

 

(a) Conduct a feasibility study to explore community-led housing delivery schemes (such as Community Land Trusts), when council-owned land or property is being considered for development or disposal.

(b) commit, where publicly owned sites are being redeveloped, to endeavour to retain long-term public ownership of the land and associated assets developed thereon.

(c) consider imposing an immediate 20-year moratorium on authorising the sale of housing units to private equity firms or similar institutional investment vehicles.

(d) consider including a standard contractual clause within all future housing development agreements requiring developers to accept financial liability for defects arising from poor workmanship, substandard materials or related construction failures that become apparent within 20 years of completion.

(e) commit to excluding contractors who have previously delivered defective building work for Brent Council under the Procurement Act.

(f) Prioritise, where feasible, the refurbishment, retrofit and re-use of existing homes and buildings over demolition and redevelopment.

 

Councillor Paul Ryan

Kilburn Ward