Council ‘has no intention’ of making families homeless
DOZENS of Hayes families who were told they would have to leave their homes so Barnet Council could turn them into affordable housing have now been offered either the option to stay or money towards a new home.
Residents in 50 properties in Blandford Waye, Carlyon Road, Minterne Waye and Swanage Waye were told “just before Christmas” to move out by March so their homes could be refurbished and offered to Barnet council tenants.
The families affected, some of whom had being renting there for decades, said rising rents in Hilling- don and the cost of deposits and moving fees would force them to either leave the area or be made homeless. While Barnet Council said it would offer residents support, one tenant said he heard nothing until after the story was covered by the Gazette.
Paul Gold, 33, who has lived in his current home for nine years, said: “As a result of your article, Barnet Council has now sent a letter to all residents to contact them and arrange a meeting.”
Mr Gold and other tenants can expect to receive up to £500 to help with moving fees, along with one month’s rent and deposit.
A Barnet Council spokesman said: “Barnet Council has no intention of making any family homeless. We are happy to discuss with long-standing tenants, on a case-by-case basis, the option of remaining in their homes.
“Where residents have a local connection to the area, such as children’s schooling, we will work closely with them to find the best solution to avoid unnecessary disruption to their day-to-day lives.
“For those households looking to move, we will be providing them with extra support to help find alternative accommodation, through Barnet Homes’ lettings agency, Bumblebee.”
A letter to all tenants was hand delivered on Friday January 4 and 21 residents have so far contacted the council to make appointments to discuss their future options. Regarding the decision to purchase the properties from property investment company Palace Capital for a reported £18.2 million, a Barnet Council spokesman said it would be going to people from the borough “who are in genuine need of housing and accommodation”.
The spokesman added: “There is an acute need for housing in London and there are no easy answers.
“Local authorities across the country often buy properties outside their own patch or borough. It was always the intention of the vendor to sell the properties.”
The purchase of the homes is just “one of a range of measures” Barnet Council is taking to meet housing needs, such as “a major house building programme, including building an initial 320 council-owned homes”, he said.
Speaking in December, Mr Gold said the news residents had to leave came as “a real shock” because tenants were previously offered the opportunity to buy their homes.
At the time, he said: “My wife works in the local school and my children go to a local school and now we might have to disrupt all that. We have had to fight with the school and the local hospital to get the right support for our daughter, who has spina bifida, and just when we have started to get somewhere, we’re potentially going to have to start again.”