Not on target
The news that Westminster Council has barred anyone from renting a council house unless they are in temporary accommodation is distressing.
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Philippa Roe, cabinet member for housing, claims she had ‘no option’ but to take this draconian (and possibly illegal) step, which will leave overcrowded and disabled families in limbo.
English councils must halve the number of people in temporary accommodation by the end of this year. Ms Roe cites exceptional pressures faced by Westminster, such as high numbers of international migrants, as the reason only her authority of the 353 in England is taking this step. This argument does hold some water though and Ms Roe’s good intentions to tackle housing need are backed up by the 500 council homes Westminster is building by 2015. However, the move’s political timing is questionable. Ms Roe claims it is purely circumstantial, yet it seems a fair bet that a (likely) Conservative-led administration will look more favourably on the plight of one of its flagship boroughs.