Sir Robin Wales
announces ground-breaking vision to transform housing in
Newham
Pioneering plans to transform
housing in Newham and improve living conditions for low income
families were announced by Mayor Sir Robin Wales
today.
Cracking down on rogue landlords and prioritising those
in employment for social housing are behind two consultations which
he launched at a roundtable event in Westminster. The launch
organised in partnership with Centre for London, an independent
think-tank and research institute, also saw speeches from Hilary
Benn MP, Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary and
Professor Anne Power, Head of Housing and Communities at the London
School of Economics and Political Science. A range of housing
experts and policy makers were also in attendance.
Speaking at the event, Sir Robin's plans set out his vision for
future housing policies which he believes could be rolled out
across London to offer a fairer deal on housing for the squeezed
middle.
The first of the consultations launched will look at supporting
those who work hard on low wages by prioritising people in
employment for social housing. Additionally people who have made a
contribution to their community in other ways such as serving in
the armed forces would also be given preference.
He also discussed proposals for mandatory borough-wide licensing of
private rented properties to combat rogue landlords, tackle
anti-social behaviour and drive up standards in the private rented
sector. The first phase of this consultation is now complete and
today sees the launch of the second stage which is due to run until
the end of April. This stage of the consultation will contain more
detailed proposals about how the scheme would operate and what it
could mean for landlords and tenants if it was given the go-ahead.
All landlords and tenants are invited to have their say.
Sir Robin said: "This launch today shows Newham is leading the
country when it comes to housing - our plans for social housing
allocations will help to drive aspirations and form a stable
community where people choose to work and stay. Our resilience
agenda is all about rewarding those who make a positive
contribution to their community and these changes will help those
on a low income who are working hard to support themselves and
their family.
"We also want to tackle the crime and anti-social behaviour which
is sometimes associated with bad private sector rented housing so
this is why we cracking down on unscrupulous landlords. There are
good landlords in the borough and we want to work with them. But we
need to target those who are responsible for housing which is
overcrowded, unhygienic and dangerous. These proposals would target
these rogue landlords and stop them from making a profit from the
misery of others."