London eyes still on Kent, warning

Council chiefs say welfare reforms and spiralling property prices could see more London boroughs buying up sites in Kent for social housing.

The warning comes in a report by the county council assessing the government’s new benefit caps.

It says that London councils could seek to acquire land for housing, as Redbridge counci did with the former Howe Barracks in Canterbury.

It says housing associations fear that a cut in social housing rents of 1% up to 2020 could mean up to 600 fewer homes being built in Kent each year.

London boroughs with greater funding than most councils in Kent could be eyeing up sites in the county.

It says migration from London to Kent remains “relatively sustainable whilst movements are well-dispersed.”

However, it warns: “London boroughs are facing a combination of budget cuts, increasing accommodation need and London housing market forces. All these factors have resulted in boroughs starting to look outside their areas.”

It cites the example of Howe barracks as potentially presenting serious challenges to Kent’s public services, adding: “Kent local authorities need to remain alert and ready to respond should a broader trend start to materialise.”

County councillors who were presented with the report expressed concerns about meeting the increased demand for services. Cllr Margaret Crabtree (Con) said: “I don’t think this is a one off. I understand the MOD has a number of derelict sites that they would like to use in the same way.

“If a number of them are in Kent that will have a detrimental impact on school places and social workers that we already have a shortage of.”

David Whittle, the council’s director of policy and strategy, said it had been a surprise when Redbridge outbid Can- terbury City Council for the Howe barracks site.

Cllr Alan Marsh (Con) said there was a case for Kent County Council to have powers to build social housing. It was “naive and unrealistic” to expect a cut in rents not to lead to fewer houses being built by housing associations.

He said: “What is required is more houses.”

Redbridge council said this week it had already moved 125 families into houses on the former barracks site.

Ismail Darioglu, his wife, Leyla, and their children Yunus and Kubra were among the first Redbridge families to move to Howe Barracks