Living under the current Government is like constantly wearing trousers a size too small – there’s never a day you don’t feel the squeeze.
But it’s no laughing matter when the consequence is that our essential services are suffering. One of these is housing.
Cllr. Danny Thorpe, Greenwich council leader
Currently we have 17,000 people on our housing waiting list and more than 800 households in temporary accommodation – and that’s not even unusual for London.
So what is the council going to do about it?
A new strategy to turn around Royal Greenwich’s housing situation has now been agreed.
It’s not something we can do alone and we’ve already been lobbying the Government to increase the amount of money we can borrow to invest in more new social housing.
The rules about how much we can borrow against existing housing stock are tight, but I’m pleased to say we have made some progress.
The Government has agreed to increase the borrowing limit, but has yet to tell us by how much or when.
Wishy-washy commitments are no good for our residents – we need firm detail so that we can deliver on our ambitious target to provide 750 new council homes by 2022.
We won’t be halted by Government road blocks though.
We’re also working with our partner Meridian Home Start to deliver another 300 new homes; ensuring we provide high-quality, specialist accommodation for those who need it; exploring the creation of two Community Land Trusts, a radical way of providing affordable housing; and of course seeking to make the private housing market accessible to residents.
The Government’s financial squeeze is not just affecting housing.
You may have heard that our funding to support the voluntary sector has been slashed by £1.3million.
It’s impossible for the council to absorb that loss into its budgets, so we’re now working with the sector to help them access new revenue streams so they can continue their vital work.
And while the money may be less, I say with absolute certainty our commitment is not.
We still offer one of the most generous funding packages in London, with our £2.9million budget out stripping some boroughs to the tune of more than two million pounds.
I’d like to thank the organisations we work with, not just for the outstanding services they offer, but for their understanding in the face of such austerity. I will do everything I can to continue to support you.
And the final squeeze I’m going to mention – Universal Credit is here.
The new system replaces a range of benefits and is a major change for many who receive it.
First payments can take five weeks to be made, so I urge residents not to ignore the situation and seek help if you need it.
