Tower blocks mooted for London borough’s B&B crisis

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Health, Local Government

A London council says the pressure on temporary accommodation in the borough is so bad that it may look at moving people to cheaper areas or start allocating flats in tower blocks to families.

Labour councillor Phil Waker, cabinet member for housing at the London borough of Barking and Dagenham, said the council currently has 124 families languishing in Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) over the statutory six-week period.

He said: “The big problem is the pressure on temporary accommodation we’re getting. We’re constantly in a legal position of having families in B&Bs for over six weeks. We got a letter from the housing minister when we had over 30 families; we’re now up to 124 – that’s despite converting elderly accommodation to temporary accommodation and we're even looking at allocating tower blocks to be honest.

“I see no choice for us in the end than having to move people to much cheaper areas."

Former housing minister Grant Shapps expressed his concerns over the increased use of B&B accommodation by local authorities and in April wrote to 20 local authorities who between them account for almost 80% of families in B&Bs for more than six weeks, reiterating the Government's position that the practice is “unacceptable”.

In July, 24dash reported how Westminster City Council's use of B&Bs for families over the six-week statutory period had trippled.

Mr Waker said the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) reform has presented the council with opportunities to build new homes which it has taken up.

He said: "We have a lot more money available and we are using it as much as we can to build new homes. We're using all the opportunities available to us including working with the private sector where the homes eventually become ours through a special purpose vehicle."

He said the council was also using the Government's Affordable Rent model to create mixed communities where some of its stock was being let at 65% of the market rent.

He added: "What I don't understand is why local authorties with housing can't come out of the public sector borowing rules. Housing associations aren't in it. It's like a return on investment. If it makes sense to build and you get a return on that investment, it shouldn't be seen like other public spending. There ought to be more of a focus on that."