A stark warning has come from a former local government official about the devastating impact of historic housing policies on London's homelessness crisis. Stephen Pound, who led housing at Ealing Council in the early 1990s, remembers the heart-wrenching scenes of children struggling to balance school life with the distress of being housed far from their communities due to inadequate local provision.
Mr Pound's remarks follow reports that London councils could be prohibited from relocating homeless families outside their boroughs. He blames a decades-old policy forcing councils to sell off their housing stock at a significant loss, retaining only half the sale proceeds and barred from using these funds to build secure replacements.
This flawed policy, according to Mr Pound, has had far-reaching consequences for London's housing crisis. Multiple boroughs are now struggling to provide safe and secure accommodation for those in urgent need. He drew parallels with other major privatisations of the era, suggesting a pattern of asset sell-offs that have left councils powerless.
Mr Pound also highlighted the closure of psychiatric hospitals like Banstead and Friern Barnet under the guise of 'care in the community'. This led to vulnerable individuals being left without adequate support, posing risks to themselves and their communities. The valuable real estate released by these closures often resulted in significant financial gains for some.
Ealing Council is one of many London boroughs facing immense pressure to house its residents. Mr Pound's intervention suggests that the current crisis has roots that are not just contemporary but deeply embedded in past policy decisions, with consequences now felt across the nation.