Brent council has been accused of social cleansing with its changes to housing allocations (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A council in north west London has been accused of ‘social cleaning’ after thousands of people were thrown off its housing waiting list.
The local authority in Brent has changed its allocation system, with some residents looking for a home given a lower priority and others removed from the list altogether.
Nic Lane, from campaign group Brent Housing Action, said: “This is social cleansing, pure and simple.”
The council uses the Locata system, which means anyone waiting on the list must bid for an empty property.
The higher your band, the more likely you are to make a successful bid.
But under the changes anyone placed in band D, the lowest priority group, have been removed from the list and told to seek a home in the private sector.
And in a further twist Brent has also re-categorised those waiting in the three remaining bands, with some downgraded to D band and taken off the waiting list
“Housing is needed in this borough; denying people a step onto the security of permanent housing by removing band D is short-sighted,” Nic Lane added.
After five years on the list, Victoria Bougouneau discovered she had been knocked off it when she tried to log in to Locata to place a bid last week.
She said: “I called the council who told me I had been removed because I was in band D. They told me they were under no obligation to house me. I didn’t receive a letter or email, so I was shocked.
“I am working and was told I need to rent somewhere privately but I can’t afford to, so I have to continue to rely on friends.”
Around 11,000 households are affected by the change – more than half of the estimated 20,000 on the waiting list.
A spokesman for Brent Council said: “The new policy aims to make the fairest use of Brent’s limited social housing stock.
“Applicants in band D are people who are currently adequately housed.
“Brent Council is committed to providing housing support to residents most in need.”
A council in north west London has been accused of ‘social cleaning’ after thousands of people were thrown off its housing waiting list.
The local authority in Brent has changed its allocation system, with some residents looking for a home given a lower priority and others removed from the list altogether.
Nic Lane, from campaign group Brent Housing Action, said: “This is social cleansing, pure and simple.”
The council uses the Locata system, which means anyone waiting on the list must bid for an empty property.
The higher your band, the more likely you are to make a successful bid.
But under the changes anyone placed in band D, the lowest priority group, have been removed from the list and told to seek a home in the private sector.
And in a further twist Brent has also re-categorised those waiting in the three remaining bands, with some downgraded to D band and taken off the waiting list
“Housing is needed in this borough; denying people a step onto the security of permanent housing by removing band D is short-sighted,” Nic Lane added.
After five years on the list, Victoria Bougouneau discovered she had been knocked off it when she tried to log in to Locata to place a bid last week.
She said: “I called the council who told me I had been removed because I was in band D. They told me they were under no obligation to house me. I didn’t receive a letter or email, so I was shocked.
“I am working and was told I need to rent somewhere privately but I can’t afford to, so I have to continue to rely on friends.”
Around 11,000 households are affected by the change – more than half of the estimated 20,000 on the waiting list.
A spokesman for Brent Council said: “The new policy aims to make the fairest use of Brent’s limited social housing stock.
“Applicants in band D are people who are currently adequately housed.
“Brent Council is committed to providing housing support to residents most in need.”
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