Dear Editor,

RESIDENTS of Harlow may well have heard stories recently about so called “permitted developments”, particularly Terminus House on BBC Radio Essex, on the BBC local television news programmes and the issue will be covered on Channel 4 tonight (George Clarke’s Council House Scandal). Some of the stories, which focus on criminal activity may have been quite alarming, so I thought I would write to inform Harlow residents of the current situation and steps the Council and other organisations we are working with, are taking to deal with the problem.

Firstly some background: London boroughs and many other authorities have a housing crisis. The country has not built enough affordable housing for years, but the crisis is made worse by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) which put a limit on the maximum rent boroughs could pay to house benefit claimants. Since 2010 housing benefit levels have not risen in line with rising private rents, and a freeze in LHA since 2016 means that they will remain frozen at their 2016 levels until 2020, regardless of how much private rents go up in each local area. The effect is that many local authorities have found it impossible to house individuals and families within their own boroughs. In looking for a solution they have sought accommodation outside London.

Compounding this, in 2013 the Government introduced “permitted development rights”. This allowed the owners of office buildings to convert them into residential accommodation without the need for planning permission. Some of these conversions offer very small apartments, they are often not ideally situated and no contribution towards infrastructure such as, schools, doctors’ surgeries, playgrounds etc. is made.

These two pieces of legislation have resulted in the toxic situation we find ourselves in today where some authorities are off loading their housing crisis onto Harlow. Among those residents relocated are some with a criminal history and some with drink or drug problems. Concentrating these individuals into a few blocks has inevitably caused an increase in levels of reported criminal activity to the detriment of Harlow residents. Equally serious is harm it is causing on vulnerable families who are also moved into these flats, to be housed next door to those with criminal pasts, which serves only to make them more vulnerable.

Additionally, where another council has moved someone to Harlow and they are being placed in temporary accommodation via the homelessness route, then the Housing Benefit is paid by the originating Local Authority. If this is a London borough or in fact any area where the LHA is higher than Harlow rates, the landlord can charge a higher rent which unfairly increase rent prices in Harlow and makes finding affordable accommodation much harder for Harlow residents.

So what are we doing about it? Residents will be aware that Labour Councillor Tony Edwards led a campaign to increase policing in the town centre. After years of Tory cuts to policing, this is now beginning to be reversed; a visible town centre police force is to be welcomed. Furthermore, Harlow Council’s Community Safety team has been given new powers under a Public Space Protection Order to deal with anti-social behaviour.

I have met with Leaders of councils across Essex and taken our concern to the Leaders of London councils in a concerted effort to persuade them to find other solutions to their housing crisis other than off-loading it onto Harlow and elsewhere in Essex. In the meantime, they should urgently contribute to the costs we are incurring due to the demands being placed on our schools and other community services by their relocations. I am pleased to say the Leaders of London Councils seem receptive to the issues and have promised to seek a solution, and in this regard the negative publicity they are receiving in the national media is welcome. The Council is also working hard to introduce what are known as “Article 4 Directives” across the town to stop further Permitted Development conversions.

All this is however dealing with the symptoms of the problem. If the social cleansing is to stop then the government needs to do two things: Firstly remove the Local Housing Allowance rent cap so that London authorities can find accommodation “in borough”. Secondly, repeal the permitted development legislation that has allowed commercial property companies to avoid planning controls and put profits ahead of the duty to provide decent, safe homes.

The people of Harlow and across the UK deserve a return to house building that focuses on building decent homes for people to live in and bring up their families in with security, rather than the current delivery of housing units as an opportunity to maximise financial returns on investments as is currently the case.

Yours sincerely

Mark Ingall

Leader, Harlow District Council