An impassioned crowd gathered outside Brent 's Civic Centre in Wembley to protest against the council's housing services.

The demonstration in Engineers Way, Wembley, on Monday (January 8), was organised by Gaashaan, a non-profit body which claims Brent's housing authority is "responsible for the continued suffering of our communities and our families."

According to protest organiser Sahel Ali, Brent Council has forced families into accommodation "unfit for human habitation" and its treatment of homeless people is "absurd and unjust."

Mr Ali claimed up to 100 people pitched up to protest and signed a petition that was presented to the council at 2pm.

Speaking to getwestlondon he said: "This is a noisy protest - people from marginalised communities are suffering at the hands of Brent Council.

"We want to prevent these people from further suffering and stop the abuses of authority and injustices carried out by Brent Council.

"There are families with five children stuck in one-bedroom homes and ignored by the council.

According to protesters Brent council has forced families into accommodation "unfit for human habitation"

"Many of the homes are of substandard with damp problems which are wrecking the health of families.

"The council is also abusing 12-month tenancy offers which force families to move far away and fragment communities."

A petition was handed to the council by protesters at 2pm.

Brent Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform, Councillor Harbi Farah, said: "The council has an open, fair and transparent allocation process for all its social housing.

"However, as is the case across London, the demand for social housing is much greater than the limited supply and the government’s welfare cuts are only making the situation worse.

"We help residents to find accommodation that suits their income and it is never acceptable for any resident to suffer sub-standard living conditions.

"This is why we are tackling rogue landlords, through our landlord licensing scheme, and have applied to the government to extend this. If individuals feel they have an issue with our housing services we are always happy to talk with them to resolve any issues.”

On Tuesday (January 9), a spokesman for Brent Council said: “Around 20 people demonstrated outside the Civic Centre on Monday and handed in a petition with up to 40 signatures in protest against the housing crisis’ effect on communities in Brent.”

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