Warning of ‘slum clearances’ if ageing homes not upgraded
COUNCILLOR’S FEARS AMID CHALLENGE OF RENOVATING HOUSING STOCK
A SALFORD councillor has warned ‘slum clearances’ could return to the city unless older homes are improved.
Bill Hinds, a cabinet member at the town hall, said Salford’s ageing housing stock needs to be kept in good condition to prevent living standards in the city dropping.
Salford witnessed slum clearances take place in the 1950s and 60s, when rows of terraced houses were demolished to make way for newer homes after some people were left living in overcrowded properties. The living conditions at the time led to concerns about healthcare and poverty.
Salford mayor Paul Dennett said in January that the city is facing a housing and homelessness ‘crisis’ right now, with a growing population and fears over the number of affordable homes available.
Mr Dennett has pledged to build hundreds of new council homes to try to tackle the problem - but he said upgrading the city’s housing stock is one of the biggest challenges facing the town hall.
The council is also grappling with rising numbers of people presenting as homeless, which left the council having to open an emergency overnight shelter in December using blowup beds.
During the council’s cabinet meeting on May 14, Mr Hinds urged his colleagues to take action on improving
The situation has got worse...If we’re not careful we’ll have another slum clearance to look at Coun Bill Hinds
Salford’s housing - or face repeating the mistakes of the past. He said: “When I first got on the council, we had money for a slum clearance. On the housing committee at the time we were always discussing pre-1919 houses, which we’ve got many in the city.
“We did have a housing review at the time and we improved many of those. But the fact is that the situation has got worse in that regard, and if we’re not careful we could have another slum clearance to look at. So it’s important that we keep pushing at that door to make sure that we renovate housing into good condition.”
Mr Dennett said housing quality is one of the main causes of poverty in the city.
He added: “The shift has been towards delivering housing numbers, but for me moving forward through the lens of carbon neutrality and net zero, we really do have to think about how we lobby and influence here, to tackle the perennial issue that is the stock we’ve currently got and getting that up to an acceptable standard. “That is going to be a challenge we’re always going to grapple with.
“We also know housing is probably one of the main drivers of poverty, and if you’ve got a cold home that isn’t anywhere near net zero, what are we doing to speak to that issue?”
Salford council has committed to being carbon neutral by 2038, and has a five-year plan which includes improving homes, workplaces and public buildings.