Brent Council Press Release
Today
(Monday 17 August), Brent’s Poverty Commission delivered its findings,
following a six-month review into poverty in the London borough. It points out
1 in 6 households (17%) live below the poverty line, doubling (to 33%) after
housing costs are taken into account. More than 1 in 5 (22%) of children live
in poverty, doubling to a startling 43% after housing costs.
The report
draws on evidence from residents, politicians and expert local and national
organisations and presents powerful first-hand experiences, bringing home what
it means to live in poverty in Brent.
Closing the
housing gap
The
Commission found that the borough’s proximity to wealth and the skilled
employment offered by central London has driven housing costs up without
raising pay locally, creating an affordability gap which pushes people into
poverty and is a key cause of homelessness. It points to an acute shortage of
social housing which has forced people into the private rented sector where
rents are two or even three times higher.
To address
this, the Commission recommends Brent Council builds on its ambitious plans to
generate more affordable homes, using its borrowing powers to build, working
with housing associations and taking advantage of post-COVID opportunities to
buy from developers and landlords who are exiting the market. It also urges the
council to launch an in-depth review into the private rented sector, and
enforce decent standards, not least to reduce fuel poverty and health problems
caused by poor conditions.
Keeping the
sharks at bay
With the
second highest number of furloughed workers in London and high rates of in-work
poverty due to low pay, the Commission highlights the importance of active
labour market policies in the wake of COVID-19 to support job creation and
improve local earnings.
Recommendations
include using the council’s local influence and procurement powers to secure
more quality apprenticeships and specialist skills training, as well as to
encourage more small and medium-sized employers to pay the London Living Wage.
In particular, prioritising activities to raise the aspirations of young people
in the borough.
To break
cycles of debt that COVID-19 is likely to exacerbate, the Commission encourages
the council to take forward work recently started with credit unions to provide
low-cost loans to cut down dependence on unscrupulous lenders.
Lord Richard
Best, an independent crossbench peer and social housing champion, who chairs
the Affordable Housing Commission, said:
Our report makes recommendations to ease poverty in Brent by raising incomes. It also shows that poverty is driven by high costs, specifically of private sector housing rents, that lead to more than 2 out of 5 children living in poverty. We call for urgent action to generate the social housing that can address this problem.
Cllr Eleanor
Southwood, Cabinet Member for Housing & Welfare Reform at Brent Council,
who commissioned the work said:
Because the causes of poverty are so complex, too often policy makers reach for sticking plasters. We wanted to understand how this web of problems, from wages to housing, debt and opportunity, come together to harm people’s quality of life in Brent.
I am extremely grateful to Lord Best for leading this Commission. We will offer a full response in the coming weeks, but I’m optimistic that this marks a new chapter in how we address poverty in Brent.
