Selling the Housing Stock was one of the worst mistakes The council has made

I have been quite vocal about the lack of Social Housing in the borough, the regular sales of Social Housing and housing being anything other than affordable.

I will now go one step further and condemn the Choose Your Home Scheme as being in-effective for the needs of the borough.

I will also again express my concern with regards homelessness in the borough and further express my concern on this issue.

Prior to the Council Housing waiting list being handed over to the care of Choose your Home, the waiting list consisted of a total of

5287 on 30/11/06 waiting to be housed

The waiting list was changed to Choose your Home in December 2006.

In an effort to be fair, I have waited almost 13 months before making a comparison of the old system to the new,

I can now confirm that the Choose Your Home waiting list now consists of

9064 as of Monday 28th January 2008

This is an increase of 3777 on the new system.

This indicates that the Choose Your Home System is not adequate to cope with the needs of the borough to increase by so much in such a short time.

Historically, when the housing register was in operation households were advised that the average wait to be rehoused into social housing was between 6-12 months.

I would suggest that the average waiting list is now likely to be years.

The Wrekin Housing Trust is supposed to have a policy of sell one build two, or as Richard Overton advised in the early days of TCW it was sell one build four and this was later echoed by MP David Wright.

I will say, whatever the policy is, it is failing and failing fast.

The last quarter has seen an increase in households in temporary accommodation

Oct – Dec 2006 saw 129 in temporary accommodation

The period for 2007 saw

131 households in temporary accommodation and a further 12 households choosing to remain with friends or family total = 143

Again displaying that the new system is not functioning as well as the old.

A total of 112 households are registered on Choose Your home in the urgent band, this is 112 households in the borough that are statutory homeless.

However, there is no method of accurately counting those that are homeless, but not statutory and rough sleeping or those that are sofa surfing.

I firmly believe that this is a clear indication that Homelessness in the borough is a great concern and that The Wrekin Housing Trust through its Choose Your Home Scheme cannot cope.

The tenants in the borough do not have adequate representation on the housing trust and the councils voice is limited to one person who at one time was also listed as a director of the trust.

Is this right, adequate or fair – I shout a very loud NO.

MP David Wright – In November 2006 you offered to arrange a housing summit, some 14 months later, your housing summit that you offered to arrange has not happened. You offered this for the benefit of residents and had you kept your word, the current waiting list might not be this bad or the families on it might at least have something positive to look forward to.

Would you like to explain to

9064 people on the waiting list
143 families who are in temporary accommodation
112 households who are statutory homeless
And countless homeless people
Why this has not been arranged and clearly not a priority to.

MP David Wright – you recently informed a resident in your constituency via email that you place

Local issues as a priority over National Issues.

MP David Wright – this is a local issue and clearly not on your list of priorities.

Or is it, this wagon has no band, so you fail to jump on board.
 

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Telford Council Watch