Homelessness ?

[observer]

As discussed many times, housing provision is dictated by supply and demand, and a fairly logical conclusion on the supply side, is that we need to build a shed load of cheap rented Council properties.  But on the demand side, the argument that uncontrolled immigration is a major factor is dismissed by the liberals out of hand.  With over 3 million EU migrants and over a million illegal immigrants (off the radar); it is not surprising to discover that many "rough sleepers" are migrants, who, even if working in low paid menial jobs, can't afford current high rents.  Seems this was discovered through a Gov policy of deporting such migrants, which has now been found, by a Judge, to contradict European HR laws. Yet another reason to exit the ECoJ and ECHR.  

[Davy51]

Seems to yet another EU anomaly that finds the UK once more being the fall guy. If EU workers can claim benefits & child allowance for their dependants at home ,the UK should be able to claim restitution from the EU home countries of  immigrants who have to rely on our benefit system to keep a roof over their heads.

[observer]

Why they can't build cheap housing is a mystery to me:  remember the pre-fabs that were built after the war, perfectly adequate and lasted for decades, some are still in use today. Most of these problems are solvable, but Party politics always seems to get in the way.     The Tories won't supply more houses and Labour won't cut demand caused by immigration.      

[Davy51]

A neighbour of mine remembers a time when ,after WW2, Italians & Ukrainians were used as miners in the St Helens area & were billeted in nissen huts in Sutton. I suppose there must be open space or old MOD sites that could operate to house homeless immigrants to get them off the streets....cheap accommodation until housing is available ? ....Or would some lefties call them concentration camps ?

[observer]

Not just a migrant issue Dave;  yes some are migrants (illegal or otherwise), some not gainfully employed, but some are;  but even renting has now become prohibitively expensive. Add to that baggage such as drug use, mental issues, social incapacity etc;  and you get rough sleepers.   Communal shelters may provide emergency relief, but don't provide any long term solution.  The obvious solution is to provide more social (council) housing, which reduces demand, thus reducing price inflation throughout the housing market, including the rented sector.  Perhaps this is the real reason the Tories can't bring themselves to commit to it, as it would affect some existing home owners (negative equity) and landlords adversely ? On the other side of the equation, jobless migrants who were rough sleepers were being rounded up and deported (allegedly); but a Judge ruled it illegal (even were petty crime was involved) and contrary to European HR law, thus saddling us with the problem.      

[asperity]

Where are you going to build all these council houses given the apparent opposition to any new housing projects that are ever mooted?

[observer]

Asp: there will be existing permissions, not taken up by developers using them as land banks, plenty of land for housing identified in the Local Plan too. Yes, the usual nimby objections will arise, but needs must.   A lot of the demand will come from the younger demographic, young couples;  but also from singles (rough sleepers); where high density apartment blocks would suffice, thus minimising land take, which could be used to re-populate the Town Centres (brown field).  Alas, none of this would come cheap, as subsidised rents or housing benefit will cost; the question of course will be where will it come from (no magic money tree) ?  It already appears that Council Tax will be rising even for the lack lustre Tory Plans.