Major victory for Harlow Council as Enfield Council agree to stop housing their residents in office blocks
News / Mon 16th Sep 2019 at 04:01pm
THE LEADER of Harlow Labour has won a significant concession as they attempt to solve the problem of permitted developments with the news that Enfield Council has agreed to not only stop housing their residents in office block conversions but actively work to enable their residents to return to the London borough.
Leader of Harlow District Council, Cllr Mark Ingall said: “This is a significant breakthrough for Harlow. I have been working with the Leader of Enfield who has agreed to a phased return to Enfield over a six months period to cease out-of-borough placements in Harlow.
“I’m grateful to Councillor Nesil Caliskan. She has recognised the practice is unfair on local residents to be moved away from their local support networks into converted office blocks. Nesil also acknowledged that it is and unfair additional burden on Harlow’s already overstretched local services.
“However, I understand the dilemma for many London Boroughs who are faced with a growing homeless crisis. The Tory Governments cap on Local Housing Allowance and ill thought out permitted development rights have created this toxic situation.
“I’ll now be in touch with Council Leaders saying, if Enfield can bring this shameful practise to an end why can’t you?
Laura McAlpine, Harlow’s Labour parliamentary candidate congratulating Cllr Ingall said:
“Whilst it is great that these two Councils have independently sought to end the practice of out of borough placements despite Conservative legislation that encourages them, I am determined to see the legislation changed to end the practice for good. Ending matchbox housing in old offices will be a central pledge in my general election campaign”
Harlow and Enfield Councils’ will join forces to campaign for changes in Government policy to end an end to the right to buy, lift of the Local Housing Allowance cap, repeal of Permitted development rights and press for a massive programme of Council House building.
jarrett
2019-09-16 17:56:36
Given the recent coverage of this on the msm and tv i wonder if Enfield are doing this more out of embarassment than anything else and what happens to the soon to become vacant blocks, what location/s were they housed in, although Greenway House comes to mind but do we have others in the town.
TiredofFailedpolitcalnorms
2019-09-16 19:53:28
Fair do’s well done.. hope the other councils can be persuaded as well .
MickyB77
2019-09-17 05:53:24
Makes me wonder, that when Laura Mac ...i , un-expectedley popped up last week, on, yourharlow, with her last gasp comments about housing, what was the point she was trying to make on a subject that's had more air time than most. Now it's obvious, nudge nudge, wink wink from one of her Momentum mates on the council, tipped her off about the Enfield issue to give her a head start. As for moving people away from friends etc; it's only about 15 miles from Harlow.
tenpin
2019-09-17 11:24:45
This is really only a very minor change in the scheme of things. Whilst Enfield Council may no longer use it, the owners of the building will no doubt having other Council's lining up to use the building for their homeless families. It is simply a case that many London Boroughs and indeed others have no-where to else to put their homeless families. Harlow Council should now seek to buy this building, for some years they used part of it for their office staff and they could perhaps do so again, with the top floor being converted to some decent sized flats for applicants from their Housing Register.
MickyB77
2019-09-17 15:40:15
I don't think they will be going down that route tenpin. No kudos for them.
durcant
2019-09-17 17:04:48
It’s a real shame that some people can not dare admit this is a good news story and a step in the right direction. On a simple point of fact no one can buy a building unless the owners puts it up for sale. Proud of community leadership on this issue.
tenpin
2019-09-17 22:34:06
Well Durcant, there are still 12 other former office blocks being used and it is interesting to see that in a later article on the subject, it turns out that The London Borough of Enfield own Greenway House at the Pinnacles but have given no undertaking to decant that building. If they did perhaps they can be persuaded to offer it to Harlow Council. It is of course very good news for the most important people of all, those living in Redstone House. Lets hope other Councils follow suit. As I said many weeks ago, despite the profits that can be made, I think in time the owners of such buildings will realise that having dozens if not hundreds of homeless families all in one building is to big an undertaking to manage in the long run.
MickyB77
2019-09-18 10:25:45
Another profound comment from the sage of Socialism; " no one can buy a building unless it's for sale ". Compulsory doesn't exist then ?
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