Another council signs up to move needy families out of London as housing crisis deepens

Londoners who have have been hit by austerity measures are increasingly unable to live in their home city as councils concede that they simply do not have enough homes to meet the demand.

Brent Council confirmed last month that it has entered into arrangements with 18 accommodation providers based all around the country including Essex, Birmingham, Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire and Manchester, in an effort to house the 4,537 people currently on its waiting list in more affordable parts of the country due to the pressure on the borough’s housing stock – like many boroughs across the capital – at breaking point.

Harrow Council have taken similar steps, with getwestlondon recently highlighting how one woman was told to move to Stoke-on-Trent or be made homeless after the council’s housing chief declared: “We’re full.”

Councillor Margaret McLennan, lead member for regeneration and housing at Brent Council, said: “The overheated housing market, welfare reform and local housing allowance caps have put a huge strain on our ability to procure enough affordable private rented accommodation for residents in the borough.

“Whilst we would always seek to house residents in Brent, the gap between the demand and supply of social housing and affordable private rented accommodation is increasing, which means we are forced to secure affordable accommodation elsewhere.

“We do consider the circumstances of individual households on a case by case basis and if we think accommodation outside of the borough would not be suitable, then that household will be provided with accommodation in Brent.”