Tower Hamlets Lead Member for Housing, Cllr Rabina Khan today hit back at Labour Mayoral hopeful John Biggs who has criticised the council for placing 94 families in short-term Bed and Breakfast accommodation as an alternative to shipping them out of the borough. The move is an emergency response to the Tory benefit cap, a policy Labour have refused to distance themselves from.
Cllr Khan said:
In October last year, Labour attacked us with the false claim that the Mayor was planning to secretly ship families out of the borough. Now they’re attacking us for not shipping families out of the borough. Am I happy that we’ve had to choose the lesser of twoevils? Absolutely not. But the benefit cap has left us a stark choice – use B&Bs or uproot people from their homes.”
Cllr Khan also hit back at claims that the move was unlawful:
“This is an emergency measure, and if John Biggs wants to take us to court to force us to eject families from their communities he’s very welcome.”
Notes to Editors:
(1). By March 2012 Newham were planning to rehouse up to 500 families outside London as far away as Stoke.
(2). Tory government’s Welfare Reform especially the Benefit’s Cap
have increased homelessness in Tower Hamlets, evictions from private
sector tenancies has increased by 150% in the past year.
(3). With the aid of the Mayor’s £2.2m Temporary Housing Fund
(Preventing Homelessness Fund) extending the time that homeless
families are rehoused temporarily in Bed and Breakfasts, Tower Hamlets
has been able to avoid any families being uprooted from their
community, schools and extended family and being rehoused outside
London. As of October 2013 only 12 homeless Tower Hamlets’ families
were rehoused outside London
For information about this press release contact Numan Hussain, Political Advisor to the Mayor, on
07508 352 023 or email
numan.hussain@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Kind regards,
Numan
Numan Hussain
Political Advisor to the Mayor
Executive Mayor’s Office
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 2BG
DL: 020 7364 7108
Mob: 07508 352 023
www.mayorlutfurrahman.wordpress.com
/ www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
Mayor Lutfur Rahman 