Showing posts with label temporary accommodation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temporary accommodation. Show all posts

Wednesday 8 November 2023

Cllr Tatler on the 'perfect storm' facing Brent Council finances

 Cllr Tatler made no bones about it at Brent Scrutiny last night: Brent Council is facing a 'perfect storm' regarding its finances:

 

 

As already reported by Wembley Matters the combination of increased homelessness (150 families a week seeking help from Brent Council), inflation, rising interest rates, rising private sector rents and reduced private sector rental properties as a result of landlords exiting the market; combined has led to a £13m overspend by the Council.

The Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee delved deeper into the repercussions and possible mitigations last night.  

One focus was the 600 plus empty properties that could easily house the 500 families and single people (858 people in all) currently in expensive bed and breakfast accommodation.  The challenge was how to contact the owners so that the Council could lease the property.  Some councillors there were more than 600 empty properties and asked how the  Council collected the figures. A councillor asked if this coudl be checked against the most recent census. In response Cllr Tatler said that the Council could reactivate the campaign to ask residents to report empty properties.

Contact Empty Property Team

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm

Thursday 26 October 2023

Council summit on 'stark' crisis in providing homeless safety net within current funding

I recently reported on the financial crisis facing Brent Council due to the rising number of homeless in the borough and the spiralling cost of temporary accommodation.  I have just received notice of this meeting which Brent councillors may be interested in attending.

Over 100 councils will attend an emergency summit taking place on Tuesday 31 October to discuss the escalating social and financial crisis created by the unprecedented demand for temporary accommodation.

 

Hosted by Eastbourne Borough Council and the District Councils’ Network, this summit aims to share insight from the councils attending and will result in a joint cross-party letter to the government ahead of the Autumn Statement urging immediate action.

 

Councillor Stephen Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said:

 

The situation is stark. 

 

Councils provide a safety net for the most vulnerable people who need our help, and that safety net is at real risk of failing. 

 

Figures from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have shown that the cost of temporary accommodation to local authorities reached 1.7bn last year and is increasing rapidly. This is wholly unsustainable for councils, and the situation is now critical.

 

The summit will explore solutions from the government, including: 

 

  • Increase Local Housing Allowance rates for private rented accommodation 
  • Develop policy to stimulate retention and supply in the privately rented sector 
  • Review the housing benefit subsidy rate for local authority homelessness placements 
  • Give district councils the powers, funding, and resources needed to increase the supply of social housing
  • Increase the level of Discretionary Housing Payment and Homelessness Prevention Grant

 

The Minister for Local Government, Lee Rowley, has been invited to attend the summit.

 

Councillor Hannah Dalton, the District Councils’ Network spokesperson for health, housing and hardship, said:

 

Across the country, we are experiencing a spiralling tide of need, driven by a severe shortage of social housing, the cost of living crisis, and an unstable and unaffordable private rented sector. This means as district councils, we are placing an unprecedented number of people in temporary accommodation, which is cripplingly expensive for councils and unsuitable for residents. 

 

Districts are vital to preventing homelessness and providing resolution when our residents are faced with no alternative. Without urgent intervention, the very existence of this safety net is under threat.

 

We are therefore calling on the government to act now and urgently adopt our five asks ahead of the Autumn Statement. While these alone will not end homelessness, they will go a long way in reducing the number of families in temporary accommodation and the series of challenges that come with this.

 

The summit will take place remotely on Tuesday 31st October from 9.30am to 11am.

 

Any council leaders, housing portfolio holders or senior council officers wishing to attend the summit should email laura.walsh@lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk.

Wednesday 22 October 2014

'Cockney Benefit Tourist Invaders' jibe as Brent Council relocates families in Sandwell

Illustration used in the Halesowen News


Following Sandwell' Council's loss of a court case which over-ruled their attempt to withhold Council Tax benefit for two years from new residents who are families rehoused by Brent and other London boroughs in Sandwell, near Birmingham, Brent Council is again sending families to the city.

The Halesowen News LINK states:
In a memo entitled Out of Area Placement Notification seen by the News Brent Council warned Sandwell Council officers of its plans.
The memo said:
We are housing tenants again in the Sandwell Council area due to the change in the council tax status.

We will be housing clients in temporary accommodation and emergency hotel accommodation (mainly houses) with offers of two year tenancies.
The memo also revealed Brent Council would be advising Hammersmith and Fulham Council to do the same.
The story goes on:

Deputy council leader Councillor Steve Eling said:
Within just weeks of the court's judgement that deemed there was no evidence of people being relocated from London to Sandwell, a London borough has placed a family here and another has confirmed it will be dumping poor families in Sandwell, apparently taking advantage of cheaper rent here.

This is a direct result of the court's judgement in the case of Brent Council and would appear to apply equally to the others. As a result, we're powerless to stop this happening.

We believe some of these families don't want to come here either because it takes them away from family and friends.

This will create an added burden on Sandwell Council taxpayers who will now have to pick up 100 per cent of the bill for these extra families who can't afford to pay council tax - as well as potentially for families that London boroughs have already placed here.

That's why we introduced the two-year residency rule in the first place, to protect Sandwell taxpayers and Sandwell families who are most in need.

Following the court's judgement, we've had no choice but to suspend that policy. We'll now have to either make further cuts or ask everyone - including the most vulnerable and poorest people in the borough - to pay something towards their council tax bill.

Following the court's judgement, we now have a £1.6 million shortfall in the money to cover the cost of council tax discounts.
The stereotype in the illustration above may be ridiculous but such stereotyping of Brent families, already removed from friends and family, clearly presents a danger that they will encounter prejudice and resentment on arrival in Sandwell and the possibility that the children of 'invading' 'Cockney Benefit Tourists' will encounter bullying in school.

Thankfully the Halesowen News quotes the warmer words of another local councillor:

Councillor John Tipper said:
Whatever the finances of the matter is we have to remember these people who are coming into Sandwell are probably not coming by choice and are human beings who should not be demonised. I hope the people of Sandwell offer the hand of friendship to these newcomers.

Thursday 12 December 2013

Brent's housing crisis in figures

Shelter has issued the latest figures on housing need which are for the third quarter of 2013. Full data is available HERE

I have made a table for the main figures for Brent below:


London Borough of Brent
Quarter 3 2013
Quarter 2 2013
Families with children accepted as homeless
72
40
Households accepted as homeless
155
113
Households found to be homeless but not in priority need
63
33
Households found to be ‘intentionally homeless’
12
18
Households in temporary accommodation
3,410
3,484
Number of children in temporary accommodation
5,729
5,837
Households with dependent children in temporary accommodation
2,640
2,692
Possession claims issued by landlords
655
535
Possession claims by mortgage lenders
83
59