Monday, November 22, 2010

The Death of Social Housing

It seems that not everyone is as dismayed as I am at today's announcement by Tory Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, that the statutory homeless and vulnerable will be forced into high cost, insecure, unregulated private rental accommodation.

Rachman may be dead but his spirit lives on amongst those minority of criminal landlords who just see the homeless as cash cows to be ruthlessly exploited.

Not only that but we now find that tenants may be evicted from their homes if their incomes rise during their new fixed term tenancies.

So - no more mixed communities then; just ghettos of the disabled, the unemployed and the  poverty stricken.

To complete the misery check out Hammersmith & Fulham Labour Group Leader, Stephen Cowan's report on the future "Housing Benefits Homeless Tsunami?" here

Last month I blogged about the End of Social Housing here following the decision to end capital grants for new build and instead depend on near market rents for funding.

Today though is definitely its death nail. We will have to campaign hard for its rebirth.

2 comments:

Brynrheidol said...

Rachman lives in Aberystwyth. "Social" landlord Tai Ceredigion is forcibly repossessing leaseholder properties in its Brynrheidol estate by charging them £20,000 each for "green" improvements they do not want or need. See brynrheidol.blogspot.com for the gory details.

John Gray said...

Sorry Brynrheidol I don't agree. You do not show that the repairs or improvements are not needed or are being poorly managed. Who is going to pay? The tenants by increasing rents?

I would agree that Right to Buy has been a good for many but also a disaster for some - especially the elderly "encouraged" to buy by their kids. With ownership comes responsibilities. Many leaseholders should never have bought.