Sunday, January 12, 2020

The misery of being in opposition



Yesterday, I helped the Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, with her surgery at Canning Town Library (next to the "Keir Hardie" room).

Trying to help the long queue of residents with their housing misery was far, far worse than before the election since there is now no hope of a Labour Government anytime soon. I saw 7 families and individuals, all suffering from dreadful housing problems.

I had dreamed last year that we would win the general election and would be able to build good quality, affordable homes for all in need. That is obviously not going to happen.

So we have no choice but to do our very best, fight, campaign and get on with it but....

We have 27,000 families in Newham on our waiting list
We have 5300 families in Newham who are homeless
We have 50% of all families in Newham living in poverty after housing costs


The Tories will not solve this emergency. Only a Labour Government in power can do this. We need to win the next general election.

 No ifs and no buts.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why did 5300 families have children when they can't afford housing?

Anonymous said...

'We have 27,000 families in Newham on our waiting list'

Are you figures correct? I assume those 27,000 are in private accommodation. Newham has 30,000 rented properties. Are you saying 27,000 of those 30,000 are claiming benefits.

I have private rented homes on my street and many people go to work, own nice cars......

John Gray said...

I think many had children in rented homes but then evicted by landlords who wanted to sell or charge more rent; victims of domestic violence fleeing violent partners, relationship breakdown, sickness, unemployment, disability....It is also not the children's "fault" they are homeless.

Over 27,000 and probably an underestimate of housing need (note 3rd statistic that 50% of families with children live in poverty once their housing costs are taken into account). There are more than 30k PRS, we also have grossly overcrowded council and housing association properties, homeless hostels, grown up children with or without families living with parents in owner occupied homes etc.

I suspect that the vast majority of people on the waiting list are in work. Most people on housing benefit are in work so not sure what your point is?

Anonymous said...

The pressure on public services and housing is primarily coming from the population explosion that we witnessed under Labour. It has nothing to do with the Tories. This is an inevitable and entirely predictable consequence of lax immigration control.

John Gray said...

nonsense. we have not been building enough homes since the 1970s. The population of London has gone up by 10% in last 10 years but house prices by 66% (I think Newham more) 50% of population rise is domestic migration from rest of UK.

Anonymous said...

Between 1997 and 2010, the New Labour years, net migration averaged 200,000 per year, five times higher than under the Major government of 1990-1996. It is now clear that net foreign migration between 1997 and 2010 was 3.6 million. There was a deliberate policy of loosening immigration controls in almost every sector – a policy that was not declared in any of the three election manifestos. These policies accounted for two thirds of the 3.6 million net foreign migration under Labour. The other third was due to their decision not to impose transition controls on migrants from the new East European members of the EU.
I rest my case..

Anonymous said...

Anon 5

Charity begins at home.

What did Labour do for my housing situation?

I pay my taxes. Bought my home. Took faith in Newham.

I am blighted aircraft noise from London City Airport. It was never like this, when they opened the airport, there was a public enquiry with a great deal of restrictions on their operations. Over the years, each of these restrictions has been removed by Newham.

There is a long list of people, I have been let down by people such as Hazel Blears (who could have overturned Newham's planning decisions), Jim Fitzpartrick (I heard his wife complain about noise from the O2 arena, but her ears could n't hear the jet planes over Tower Hamlets), Robin Wales,

The airport has costs Newham £100million, as Building 1000 (renamed Newham Dockside) was empty for 5 years after it was built. The airport claims it is good for business, but it cost residents millions to bail out the development agency. George Osborne turned the Royal Docks into an enterprise zone, so business don't pay taxes and Newham is loosing out millinos in revenue from Business Rates.

Robin Wales would report backstreet garages, to check if they paid their taxes, but the the big elephant in the room London City Airport declared in their company reports, that it was borrowing money from their offshore parent company, so as to offset their taxes.

I appreciate we have a new Mayor in Newham, but the airport is going ahead with their planning application, so I assume, they have arm twisted relevant people.

At Heathrow all the local councils go together to fight the third runway. At Stansted and Gatwick, the local council is backing the residents.

When the airport opened, it was only a business airport, but in they want to expand and they are targeting the leisure market. Is someone going to Ibiza, contributing anything to the UK economy?

The previous owners bought the airport for £1bn and sold for £2bn, but they used my home for their business. The noise trespasses into my home.

John Gray said...

Anon 4. No you don't. You have referenced recent immigration but no evidence that this causes homelessness in Newham? There are population increases in many parts of London and the UK yet very low levels of homelessness. LB Merton for example.

John Gray said...

Anon 5. I think you will find a more robust challenge to City airport by this mayor https://www.newham.gov.uk/Pages/News/Mayor-of-Newham-calls-for-London-City-Airport-consultation-to-be-halted-in-open-letter-to-airport-chief-executive.aspx

Anonymous said...

You can answer the immigration point very easily yourself John.... How many of the seven families you saw were second generation British?... answer...??

John Gray said...

I haven't a clue. I am an elected Councillor not an immigration officer. I think they reflected the population of Newham as a whole but actually don't think any EU nationals?

John Gray said...

Potty mouth anon is back. Abusive Comment deleted!