Grenfell ex-residents should get a 3-bed house with a garden if that's what they want

[pingodolcepo]

Daily mail outrage that some of the residents are asking for a 3-bed house with a garden. But honestly, they have been through a living hell that was caused by someone else's very bad choices.

There are plenty of people in London that have a 3 bed council house, why can't these people that have dealt with horrors get one also?

I know someone that got a council house in Highgate in the 80s, was a cabbie with a good wage, bought it when offered and sold it a few years ago for over a million and now lives in a fab place with loads of land and a pool in the south of France. If plenty of normal people got houses why can't these poor residents get one? They won't ever be able to afford to buy it due to the high cost of london houses now.

So ... What is the solution?
Houses with gardens are what is wanted, but there are none available.
We can't house in flats, we can't move out of K&C. What is the solution?
There's no point in debating points of social policy and discussing changing the way money is spent. The debate on that alone will take years. These people need housing now, and a pragmatic solution asap.

Low rise flats should be okay. Or houses with gardens further away. Give the individual tenants the choice.

Is there a link to the actual story to which the OP refers? Googling "daily mail grenfell 3 bedroom garden" brings up lots of articles but nothing along these lines.

Battle-ax, I agree. But presumably these options have already been offered, and the remaining tenants have turned down those options?

Battle-ax, I agree. But presumably these options have already been offered, and the remaining tenants have turned down those options?

I think there are various "groups" behind the scenes encouraging tenants to shoot for the moon, for their own reasons.

When the resource in question is London social housing or London land, (and in a specific tiny patch) then it's a hiding to nothing because there really is no way to magic extra units up no matter how much the powers that be probably want to now.

Well Cath it would seem that they were reviewing the charging and storing of mobility scooters prior to the fire.

www.accessandmobilityprofessional.com/mobility-scooter-storage-charging-reviewed-prior-grenfell-tower-blaze/

while not listening to tenants concerns about dodgy workmanship.

And if some Grenfell tenants were using disability scooters im guessing they will need adapted housing.

You see its not as black and white as some would suggest.

"I think there are various "groups" behind the scenes encouraging tenants to shoot for the moon, for their own reasons"

Slightly aside, but interestingly, this is very, very common in social housing- people with their own agendas pushing tenants, political point scoring and arse covering by making others look bad. It's been used as a political pawn for many years because the general public don't care about social housing

forgot to answer C8H1ON402s post that I have every sympathy with the Grenfell residents getting the housing they need, and that its completely the incompetence of the council in handling it all, yes we are both victims of the council policy, but in our case when we are eventually allowed to bid again, and we have been told it could be years, we can bid for max 2 properties then we are taken off the list which I think is fair, but people we know who were living there are now staying at The Hilton Kensington since June, and have turned down 3 properties now, and with a weekly food allowance of £300 per person including that amount for children over 5, they said they are happy to wait for a house.

I am sure it is not so straightforward, Helena. Although I have not been following the scooters story, clearly needing an adapted home would add to the complications.
But I am sure I read somewhere - not the DM! - that all of the displaced tenants were offered alternative housing within a few weeks of the fire. If they repeatedly turn down housing that is deemed suitable, do you not think it's time to say enough is enough and those people should be put back into the waiting list like everyone else?

So many different politically motivated people have flocked around Grenfell Bubble. Momentum, for example, were there en masse, by the second day.

The Lily Allen line (and she was far from alone) of not understanding the mortality figures, and hinting darkly at a conspiracy, was some of the most wilful stupidity we've seen in British public life for a while.

Rehousing, however, is necessarily a very concrete task. No amount of waffle will alter the economics or the supply.

They are not repeatedly turning down offers of housing as far as im aware.

I remember watching Victoria Derbyshire a few weeks after the fire and a resident telling Alok Sharma that he wasnt prepared to keep moving his daughter from here.............to here ..............to here..........to here.

They are scared of being moved around like chess pieces. And do you really expect them to trust an organisation that would not listen to their safety concerns before the fire and even threatened them with legal action if they didnt just STFU!

But surely by now they must have seen what was happening to others, Helena? I am not being goady, but am struggling to understand why people would still be refusing homes and holding out for something that frankly does not exist.

Maybe I am looking at things in an oversimplified way, I don't know.
It just seems pointless holding out for something that doesn't exist, then complaining when you don't get it.

They are scared of being moved around like chess pieces. And do you really expect them to trust an organisation...

But they still put their life in the hand of that organisation, by expecting to be housed!

Because some of those homes may well need to be adapted ones.

And ppl do keep getting moved from temp accomodation to temp accomodation

Why should they be put through that because of negligence and cost cutting.

I agree cath.

Because it will cost millions in tax payer's money? Compensation payout from the council? Fair enough. A 3 bed house in London?! That's basically a luxury.

I'd be happy if they got 3 bed houses with gardens
however unfortunately i don't think its physically possible in that immediate area due to lack of space

Well I didn't like to say anything Ylvamoon ... But I agree with you. Compromise is needed I think.

Look the idea that the authorities would ever, under any circumstances (even these) but a property at market rent from a private individual or company for one of their tenants is propostuous. I don't know why people are excusing them not doing it. They never would. It's probably not even LEGAL.

Why is a 3 bedroom house in London a luxury? If you grow up in London you don't deserve a 3 bedroom house unless you have a very high paid job?? My sister lives in a 3 bed council house with a garden in zone 2. The council demolished an estate to build these houses, maybe they could do this at Grenfell? I know it won't be a big enough area to rehouse everyone, obviously, but it could help. I wouldn't wish high rise council flat living on anyone, even before the fire.

Lancaster west is desperate for regeneration. It it won't happen. Too many homeowners, too much politics, it would take many years. But it is probably the best option, I agree.

A similar regeneration has just finished on the other side of portobello road. A 3 bed town house is selling for £2m. Next door, same house for a social housing tenant (lower spec fixtures and fitttings) this is VERY common in London.

London regeneration that's meant to say!

This guardian article claims that 20 RBKC staff are working to find the survivors homes and are buying property at the rate of 2 a day in and around N.Ken as many with gardens as they can get. They have a budget of £235m which concurs with another article I recently read that said the council had set aside £1m per family for homes and I think there are around 237 "households" - as some neighbouring low rises were also deemed uninhabitable after the fire and a number of families (especially those with grown up children) are applying now for more than one home.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/11/homeless-because-of-a-tragedy-struggle-to-rehouse-grenfell-survivors-continues

Can I ask a question: if a 3-bed house was gutted by fire, what sort of housing would the tenants want to be re-homed to?

I wouldn't wish high rise council flat living on anyone, even before the fire.
Some of the most high-end real estate in the world is high-rise. Think New York, Dubai, Hong Kong and yes, London. Flats in the Barbican go for huge amounts.