Harefield Manor Hotel in Romford. Credit: Google
(Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Sebastian Mann)
The council has temporarily placed an unspecified number of people in a Romford hotel in a bid to ease its housing crisis.
All borough councils place people in temporary accommodation outside their own boundaries, the deputy leader of Waltham Forest said.
Havering, however, faces challenges from its own increasing population and the move has attracted criticism from officials.
In a letter to council leader Ray Morgon, Romford MP Andrew Rosindell said: “Havering is already facing considerable challenges in providing adequate housing and support for our own residents.
“The prospect of another local authority utilising our community resources to accommodate their residents is deeply troubling.”
The demand for homes in Havering is quickly outpacing supply, according to a council report from June.
The council ended up housing residents in expensive hotels and bed-and-breakfasts last year due to the rising cost of accommodation.
In his correspondence – reprinted in the Havering Daily – the Conservative MP said the arrangement “would not only strain our already limited resources but also place an undue burden on the residents and services of Havering”.
Waltham Forest Council says it followed the proper procedures before sending its residents to the hotel and the arrangement would only be temporary.
Councils are required to notify boroughs where they are looking to house residents in advance, as per section 208 of the Housing Act 1996.
Havering says it was alerted to the scheme in good time and has “very little control over the placement of homeless households by other councils in temporary accommodation in our borough”.
Ahsan Khan, the deputy leader of Waltham Forest Council and cabinet member for housing, said: “We continue to support families in their time of need, including help to move on to more settled accommodation.
“All boroughs need to work with the new government to find a long-term solution to the increased demand in temporary accommodation London is seeing.”
Similar to Havering, Waltham Forest considers itself in the grip of a “severe housing crisis”.
It has faced “unprecedented demand” and is working to alleviate the issue by approving thousands of new homes in the south of the borough.
The authority is also looking to buy some 400 homes in and out of London.
Cllr Khan added: “London is the epicentre of the homelessness crisis, caused by decades of insufficient home building and exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.”
London Councils, which oversees the 32 authorities in the capital, monitors the quality of hotel and bedsit accommodation through a funded scheme called ‘Settling the Standard’.
The spokesperson for Havering Council added it was in contact with Waltham Forest to ensure it was “meeting the required standards of health and safety”.
