Forum Topic

Ealing Spends Over £37 Million A Year on Temporary Housing

Ref the article on this web site's front page.£37M to accommodate approx 2,200 people breaks down to approx £17k per person per year and £1,400 per person per month. These figures seem about right for a two bed flat or small house but per person seems excessive.Or am I missing something?

Philip Coe ● 2661d14 Comments

My guess would be that the cost per person is higher because there are more than 2,200 people being accommodated. By that I mean some people are being housed for just part of the year which would generate extra admin and up front costs.Hard to say whether this is excessive without comparisons with other boroughs.

Andy Jones ● 2661d

There are some amazing living spaces made out of shipping containers nowadays.

Philippa Bond ● 2661d

Yep, and LBE has whacked and stacked 'em into The Lodge grounds in North Acton Playing Fields.Talk about fugly.

Rosco White ● 2661d

Indeed, the student accommodation blocks at the Paragon Brentford (WLU) were all, in effect, container-based.Ideal for student or short-term but not the family homes that Ealing needs.

N V Brooks ● 2661d

The old YMCA in Bond Street owned by the council lay empty for 7 years when it could have housed some of the homeless. During that time the council had to pay rates on each of those seven years. It was sold for very little more than the Council paid for it. I can make more money than that on my assets. Would the council ask me to run these things successfully for them like they are asking us to run the libraries. Give me a go and I'd have enough money to keep the libraries open.

Arthur Breens ● 2660d

But Arthur, don’t you realise you have a level of competence, experience and common sense far in excess of that required to be a Council decision maker.

Simon Hayes ● 2660d

I ask, yet again, as I am genuinely mystified, just WHO voted this shower back in, and WHY?(And please don't lecture me about "CAPS etiquette", I am very well aware of it, but this neanderthal software has no features as we all know and the only way to emphasise a point/s is by using CAPS. It's NOT shouting.  I thank you.)

Rosco White ● 2660d

Block votes in certain parts of the borough, traditional Labour voters who didn’t read the manifesto and, certainly in Northfields, protest vote against Tory government.The trouble is there’s no effective opposition, little scrutiny of decisions and a compliant propaganda sheet in Around Ealing magazine.We hear a lot about making Ealing a great place to live but I’ve yet to see much evidence that the current policies are achieving that. Maybe if you are an absentee landlord investing in new build flats or, indeed, the developers building them.I wonder if Bicycle Bell has ever heard of T Dan Smith?

Simon Hayes ● 2660d

"......certain parts of the borough", careful Mr Hayes, you're on thin ice, some will accuse you of racism!Agree with what you say, particularly regarding the urine poor local "Opposition" party.:-)))))))))))

Rosco White ● 2660d

No racism whatsoever. You can study the electoral history of the borough and see how voting patterns have developed over the years and confidently predict who will be returned at every election in certain areas. That’s regardless of how a particular party, or indeed councillor, is performing.These are surreal times in Ealing. I spent a while watching politics in Tower Hamlets and thought I’d seen it all there. But what’s going on here is on another level.

Simon Hayes ● 2660d

Temporary housing must be bed and breakfast accommodation which is notoriously expensive. when you have a severe shortage that has grown up over the years together with most rented accommodation being either poor or expensive then it is not surprising. the container style accommodation is the way forward. prefabricated units delivered to prepared sites in odd corners of the borough would provide a quicker solution. also forcing developers to provide a higher percentage of affordable rented accommodation would help. affordable housing for purchase is not that affordable.

Peter Chadburn ● 2660d

At least with the container accommodation it should start at a decent standard.  I expect there are landlords who still need to be investigated and the regs need changing so that tenants don't get chucked out when their landlord fails to maintain their property.

Philippa Bond ● 2660d

He does now because I explained to him a couple of weeks ago and suggested that having a chair of planning who was a developer, was to those of us of a certain age, a bit like living in Newcastle in the sixties. I also asked him would he prefer to be known as Shirley? As we seem to be haemorrhaging social housing.

Libby Kemp ● 2660d

No Philippa, compared to what other boroughs are doing Ealing's shipping container shells are a disgrace. Just empty shells. And speak to the vicar on South Acton Estate. Look at what Camden have done in Holmes Road:http://www.peterbarberarchitects.com/holmes-road-studiosEaling are just dumping people, Camden are giving them an opportunity to live.

Libby Kemp ● 2660d