Social Housing/ private renters/ squatters/ homeless
- Thread starter Gramsci
- Start date
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Interesting programme looking into RTB. Features Lambeth. Among other things looks at property firms that offer to "help" Council tenants buy there property. Its legal. In Lambeth looked at an estate where these property firms had been leafleting the estate. Many of the tenants are on housing benefit. The "deal" is the property company put up the money to buy the flat and in theory they become tenants of the property company. A housing lawyer told of vulnerable people getting evicted by property companies as the "deal" was not what it seemed. They prey on vulnerable people.
Its a big problem in London. Due to the killing to be made on the high price of the houses.
Whose Right to Buy Is It Anyway?, File on 4 - BBC Radio 4
Its a big problem in London. Due to the killing to be made on the high price of the houses.
Whose Right to Buy Is It Anyway?, File on 4 - BBC Radio 4
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
They were highlighting the rather unpleasant terraced street of affordable homes @ £450,000 each in the top left.
For some reason on Urban it comes out as a tetraptych or quadriptych in my repost.
If you want greater clarity - here is the photo I thought I had posted originally, plus some affordability criterea.
In the spirit of the times I should qualify this by saying I am reposting this for general interest - thought I honestly believe this information better informed than say the £350 million a week that is not now going to be spent on the health service.
Last edited:
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
I heard this on Radio 4 tonight.
There is further information here 16% of RTB purchasers 'on housing benefit' | News | Inside Housing
Ironically it seems that we will not be able to track this so efficiently in future as the agency recording money laundering money used in some of the RTB fraud cases is a European agency.
editor
hiraethified
organicpanda
cat herder extraodinaire
bet Olive Morris' music was better (facetious alert)
Ergo Proxy
Well-Known Member
Here's George Turners' piece on Vauxhall Sky Gardens and how Frasers with the help of Savills might be using lower expected sales values to reduce even affordable provision from Lambeth Council.
Pie in the sky – Vauxhall Sky Gardens
Pie in the sky – Vauxhall Sky Gardens
snowy_again
Slush
Keybridge House has almost all gone. Scarily quick.
snowy_again
Slush
And the comment on the Pie blog isn't quite accurate - there's demolition work taking place on the Bondway storage site at the moment.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Property developers are vermin. In the sense that they serve no useful purpose, make things worse and should be eradicated from society.
"Financial Viability" is such a load of bollox.
Lambeth Council , who are quick to have a go at the little people like in the Housing Coops, are on there knees in front of big time property developers.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
A Lords Select Committee led by Lord Hollick advocates local authorities building homes for social rent. Report here, with video clip
"We must tackle the housing crisis" recommends Economic Affairs Committee - News from Parliament
"We must tackle the housing crisis" recommends Economic Affairs Committee - News from Parliament
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
These things don't get on the news unfortunately, but the very first question asked of the new Chancellor of the Exchequer on appearing before the Economic Affairs committee on Thursday 8th September for first time was about what he was going to do to deal with the need for more social housing.
The tone of his reply was promising at least - though will anything come of it?
Parliamentlive.tv
The tone of his reply was promising at least - though will anything come of it?
Parliamentlive.tv
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
This article is very informative.
I'm hoping to go to the demo. I think giving them an award is a disgrace.
At least mediaeval masons thought their cathedrals were helping pilgrims achieve eternal life.
All these modern "architects" do is provide the fig leaf for an economic process relentlessly asset-stripping the poor funnelling money to private corporate financial interests.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
I think this article is absolutely brilliant.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
I went to the RIBA demonstration on Thursday last week (and have one measley picture on my camera to prove it).
Much better if you want a full account is this: That’s How Grateful We Are: Heygate, Aylesbury & RIBA Stirling Prize 2016
Much better if you want a full account is this: That’s How Grateful We Are: Heygate, Aylesbury & RIBA Stirling Prize 2016
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
Architects for Social Housing have posted up a presentation they gave yesterday at a Royal Academy debate
Future Estates: ASH presentation at the Royal Academy
Future Estates: ASH presentation at the Royal Academy
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
Post for social housing cognoscenti and uber nerds
There is currently some controversy over a speech made in Berlin by Patrik Schumacher - currently director of Zaha Hadid architects (designers of the Loughborough Park Academy and numerous modernist buildings worldwide).
Just wanted to post this as Schumacher's views are so counter-intuitive and pro-developer it seems off the spectrum politically, even for Tories. Nevertheless what he is saying is coming to pass by default - purely driven by developer profits.
Patrik Schumacher calls for scrapping of social housing and public space
The link contains a summary of the comments and a video of the lecture (1 hour total)
There is currently some controversy over a speech made in Berlin by Patrik Schumacher - currently director of Zaha Hadid architects (designers of the Loughborough Park Academy and numerous modernist buildings worldwide).
Just wanted to post this as Schumacher's views are so counter-intuitive and pro-developer it seems off the spectrum politically, even for Tories. Nevertheless what he is saying is coming to pass by default - purely driven by developer profits.
Patrik Schumacher calls for scrapping of social housing and public space
The link contains a summary of the comments and a video of the lecture (1 hour total)
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Saw this disturbing report by Corporate Watch about the complicity of homeless charities and Councils in deporting homeless people.
The Round-Up: rough sleeper immigration raids and charity collaboration | Corporate Watch
Lambeth is one of them:
The Freedom of Information requests asked the GLA and borough councils how many times in the
last year their outreach teams had conducted joint visits to rough sleepers together with Immigration
Enforcement. They also asked how many people had returned “voluntarily” to other countries as a
result of these visits, and how many people had been detained.
Many councils did not answer, claiming that they don't hold this information. Westminster, the
council with by far the most rough sleepers and organised rough sleeper services, was amongst
these. As we will see below, Westminster has actively lobbied for a toughened “enforcement
approach” to European rough sleepers, and in November and December 2015 it ran a key pilot
project with the Home Office called Operation Adoze. We know from a parliamentary question that
exactly 127 EEA nationals encountered in Westminster during this operation were deported through
Operation Adoze, either in those two months or by September 2016.vi So there is certainly active
Immigration Enforcement in Westminster, and active data gathering too.
Twelve other London councils did reply saying that they had carried out joint visits with ICE the
year before. They included all the other inner London boroughs with 160 or more rough sleepers.
Between them, they counted 133 such visits, so about 11 each, just under one a month, in each
borough.
Based on their replies, there seems to be a rough correlation between the number of rough sleepers
in a borough and the number of Immigration Enforcement operations. Camden, number two for
rough sleepers after Westminster, said that its outreach teams made 24 joint visits with Immigration
Enforcement in the previous year, i.e., one a fortnight. Lambeth, with 445 rough sleepers, had 17
joint visits. (These are the two areas operated by CGL “Safer Streets” teams.) Tower Hamlets, with
377 rough sleepers, had 16 joint visits. Lewisham (199 rough sleepers) had 15 joint visits, while
Kensington & Chelsea (225) and Hammersmith & Fulham (161) each had 14. The outliers were
Southwark and Ealing, which had 373 and 219 rough sleepers, but only five and two joint visits
respectively.
The Round-Up: rough sleeper immigration raids and charity collaboration | Corporate Watch
Lambeth is one of them:
The Freedom of Information requests asked the GLA and borough councils how many times in the
last year their outreach teams had conducted joint visits to rough sleepers together with Immigration
Enforcement. They also asked how many people had returned “voluntarily” to other countries as a
result of these visits, and how many people had been detained.
Many councils did not answer, claiming that they don't hold this information. Westminster, the
council with by far the most rough sleepers and organised rough sleeper services, was amongst
these. As we will see below, Westminster has actively lobbied for a toughened “enforcement
approach” to European rough sleepers, and in November and December 2015 it ran a key pilot
project with the Home Office called Operation Adoze. We know from a parliamentary question that
exactly 127 EEA nationals encountered in Westminster during this operation were deported through
Operation Adoze, either in those two months or by September 2016.vi So there is certainly active
Immigration Enforcement in Westminster, and active data gathering too.
Twelve other London councils did reply saying that they had carried out joint visits with ICE the
year before. They included all the other inner London boroughs with 160 or more rough sleepers.
Between them, they counted 133 such visits, so about 11 each, just under one a month, in each
borough.
Based on their replies, there seems to be a rough correlation between the number of rough sleepers
in a borough and the number of Immigration Enforcement operations. Camden, number two for
rough sleepers after Westminster, said that its outreach teams made 24 joint visits with Immigration
Enforcement in the previous year, i.e., one a fortnight. Lambeth, with 445 rough sleepers, had 17
joint visits. (These are the two areas operated by CGL “Safer Streets” teams.) Tower Hamlets, with
377 rough sleepers, had 16 joint visits. Lewisham (199 rough sleepers) had 15 joint visits, while
Kensington & Chelsea (225) and Hammersmith & Fulham (161) each had 14. The outliers were
Southwark and Ealing, which had 373 and 219 rough sleepers, but only five and two joint visits
respectively.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Another quote from report. This is supporting Theresa Mays hard-line on immigration:
EU and other European Economic Area (EEA) nationals are the main targets, as they make up nearly half of London rough sleepers. Migrants from Romania, Poland, and other East European countries are particularly affected.
In May 2016, the Home Office toughened the rules so that European rough sleepers can be arrested for deportation if found sleeping rough on just one night.
Tough policy on migrant rough sleepers was “intensely lobbied” for by Westminster Council, and encouraged by the “Mayor's Rough Sleeping Group”, which included senior charity managers from St Mungo's, Thames Reach, Homeless Link, and also Crisis.1
Rough sleeper deportations are at the cutting edge of Theresa May's “hostile environment” approach where immigration controls are spreading across schools, hospitals, and housing.
The “hostile environment” is based on collaboration. But it can be broken by solidarity and resistance. We are already seeing examples of refusal by some homelessness workers and campaigners; the conclusion gives some ideas for how it could spread.
EU and other European Economic Area (EEA) nationals are the main targets, as they make up nearly half of London rough sleepers. Migrants from Romania, Poland, and other East European countries are particularly affected.
In May 2016, the Home Office toughened the rules so that European rough sleepers can be arrested for deportation if found sleeping rough on just one night.
Tough policy on migrant rough sleepers was “intensely lobbied” for by Westminster Council, and encouraged by the “Mayor's Rough Sleeping Group”, which included senior charity managers from St Mungo's, Thames Reach, Homeless Link, and also Crisis.1
Rough sleeper deportations are at the cutting edge of Theresa May's “hostile environment” approach where immigration controls are spreading across schools, hospitals, and housing.
The “hostile environment” is based on collaboration. But it can be broken by solidarity and resistance. We are already seeing examples of refusal by some homelessness workers and campaigners; the conclusion gives some ideas for how it could spread.
organicpanda
cat herder extraodinaire
strangely enough the chuggers for St. Mungoes, Shelter etc. have not been seen around Tottenham Court Road/Bloomsbury are since this was reported
David Clapson
Well-Known Member
I donate to Centrepoint. Do they also collaborate with immigration enforcement?
