Westminster has its priorities right
I write in response to the article ‘Westminster to restrict lettings’ (Inside Housing, 30 April ) and to also correct a number of inaccuracies.
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For the record, we have been set a target by the government to halve the number of people in temporary accommodation by the end of the year and this is why we continue to give households in this group priority.
Over the past few years, we have worked hard to reach this target by preventing homelessness, expanding the supply of social housing through the development of new homes and by allocating more than 65 per cent of our available housing stock to homeless households each year.
However, with limited supply and huge pressures on housing in the heart of the capital we need to maintain a high level of re-housing for this group until the target is met.
Contrary to the suggestion in the article, we believe our approach is lawful and reflects the requirement to give reasonable priority to certain groups of people in housing need.
Overall, in 2010/11 we expect to undertake more than 1,000 lettings, of which just under 500 will go to homeless households, meaning that significant numbers of people in other priority groups will also be re-housed this financial year. The majority of lettings will go to families in temporary accommodation in the first part of this financial year until December 2010 to meet the government’s target.
We are fully aware that there are other households which also need assistance and this is why we established a separate programme in 2009/10 to re-house the most overcrowded families in Westminster, re-housing a total of 200 families.
We will re-house a further 60 overcrowded households later this financial year and will ensure that a proportion of lettings go to other priority groups, such as those with medical needs. The claim that a blanket ‘ban’ has been introduced and that we have closed our list for a year is simply inaccurate. Our central London location means we have an ever-increasing population and consequently more demand for housing. It is in this context that we have to manage many competing priorities for a very limited supply of affordable housing.
Finally, we remain committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and in March we launched the biggest council house building programme that central London has seen for a generation, which will see almost 500 homes being built by 2015.
Rosemary Westbrook, director of housing, Westminster Council