Family forced to live ‘temporarily’ in Brent for 20 years
By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter
Central London residents have been forced to live in temporary accommodation for the best part of 20 years while they wait for a permanent home.
Westminster residents have had to move to neighbouring boroughs, or as far as the Essex seaside in Southend-on-Sea, for up to two decades.
Currently, 1,537 households are in temporary accommodation outside Westminster while they wait for a place to live, a Freedom of Information request revealed.
In total there are more than 4,000 people on the housing waiting list in the borough.
One Westminster family has been in temporary accommodation in Brent for 20 years, while another family has been placed in Kensington and Chelsea for 19 years.
Another household has been staying in Brent for 19 years while they wait for a permanent home. Two families have also been waiting in Newham for 19 years.
Westminster City council has to house families outside the borough due to a lack of available housing in the area.
There are currently 191 households in temporary accommodation in Barking and Dagenham, and another 111 households waiting for a home in Barnet.
There are 250 households who have been placed in temporary accommodation in Newham while they wait for a Westminster home.
Westminster City council has also had to move people to temporary homes further afield. The council has moved seven households 40 miles away to Southend-on-Sea, while 71 households have been moved 24 miles to Thurrock, also in Essex.
A further household is staying in Hertfordshire and another family is in Buckinghamshire.
The news comes as the number of empty homes in central London has tripled within five years. There were 1,900 empty properties in Westminster in June 2022.
Meanwhile, the number of empty homes in central London has tripled within five years.
Westminster City council recently announced it plans to build at least 1,362 council homes for social rent to try and make the borough more affordable.
The council has been contacted for further comment.
Pictured top: Westminster City council offices (Picture: Google Street View)
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