A Rant About Homelessness and Housing Associations

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

July 19, 2024

So, back on the weekly treadmill. Sometimes I forget what I’ve written about before but I don’t think I mentioned the seminar where I went to at Hounslow House, with a number of my colleagues, about homeless and housing. In case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t enough houses or flats and the worst part of my job is the frustrating search for housing solutions for people who are either homeless, about to become homeless, or are housed in overcrowded and horribly maintained hovels. Or all of the above.

I have a few families like that and the council officers are doing their level best, but we all know we don’t have the solutions the residents deserve. I have one family who has been notified of impending eviction from a hovel. Their family is in one small room in a very polluted place. Their home has rats, mould, a broken toilet and we have little power to improve it because it is run by a registered housing association. Some of these are OK, but some are shameful. Well I said imminent but I first heard of this last October. Subsequently there has been a court order, but that’s not the same as him being homeless. He has to wait until a bailiff knocks on his door when the council will take responsibility for finding somewhere. Where they find may be a long way away, it may be in a hostel, it is unlikely that it will be very nice. It may not be practical to keep his job, which is in Shepherd’s Bush. Am I ranting? Well, yes I am, but it’s out of frustration. These are thoroughly decent people with special problems because of circumstances. He is told to seek private accommodation. He has been to many estate agents but they all laugh at him because he receives Universal Credit to top up his earnings and that is a no-no for estate agents and probably landlords. It’s Catch-22.

On Saturday I went on my constitutional bike ride around Dukes Meadows and found some weird work being done on the rather shabby car park there. There were a couple of security men telling me I wasn’t supposed to cycle there so I asked them why. Apparently they are making a film there, but they wouldn’t tell me what it was or anything about it. It looked like a floating bus stop, but no buses there. If anyone sees it on the big (or small) screen let me know!

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On Sunday we had our monthly surgery. I had one man who lives in the ward in a Housing Association flat that was only built a few years ago. He is infested with rats which seem to have got into the structure of the building and keep him awake with scratching, Horrible. This seems to have come from a poorly designed/built bin room and poor caretaking and maintenance. Our recycling man visited immediately and we are hoping it is now resolved – time will tell. And this is a Housing Association again, and this is a big one, but their tenant is not complimentary.

We also had a deputation from Brentford Dock. Not really my problem but it stems from the noise emanating from the Heidelberg development so it affects me in the same way as the posh people across the river. The noise is intolerable but it’s not clear how we/developers fix it. Planning enforcement are working on it. Sometimes it is helpful to be deaf, but the other concern of the Dockers is that it will damage their structures. I suppose I should be too, but I haven’t time to think about it.

Then I was off for a quick visit to Clayponds Community Centre. No longer my ward but always fun to visit and it has grown enormously and they attract a lot of people now.

Plus some wildlife, including at least one snake.

Great dedicated team there and good to see them recognized at the council stars event on Monday.

In the evening I went to the Griffin for that little footer match with some foreign types. It was packed and I think I wasn’t supposed to be there, having not booked. So I went home for the second half and wished I’d dug out an episode of Dr Finlay’s Casebook (or Bookcase as my aunty called it). I think the football was sabotaged by the Evil Doctor Snoddy, because it was obviously fixed.

Talking of Monday, I was supposed to go on the Great Boston Manor Park Hedgehog Hunt but decided to go and have a coffee instead. Lazy boy. Like last year they didn’t find any hedgehogs (same as last year) but some nests, so those varmints seem to be there somewhere.

Going home, there is a regular flytip where I live. I reported it on FixMyStreet but it is normally cleaned up by our caretakers.

But I want someone to follow it up and persuade the perpetrators to mend their ways. Couldn’t see an address but if you know a pair of child artist virtuosos called Jayden and Lamari that might be a clue.

Went to the Council Stars awards that evening but didn’t stay long because I couldn’t hear well when we got past the presentations and there was a hubbub of noisy excited people.

On Tuesday I met a resident at the Spire Café. He had just finished a job where he had worked for 7 weeks as an employee of a local builder but only been paid for one of them. I decided we should try sending the employer a stiff letter and see if that brought a result. If not, I’ll seek advice but my default next step is the small claims court. That will work if he doesn’t deny it (and he has some money!) but may take a year in the current system if he contests it. New government to tackle this courts mess but there are so many failures in our public services it will take a lot of time and money getting them functioning as they should, and as they used to before 14 years of incompetence.

Then it was a FoodBox Trustee meeting, which went on rather so I missed attending a NHS meeting I had volunteered for.

On Wednesday Emma and I were back in the Spire Café. Now all the kerfuffle of the elections is behind us we can get on with sorting out how we work together. We had a session there, then we went to Albany Parade and spoke to several of the shops there, plus the council officers who are running the relocation etc. It’s not a comfortable time for the retailers because they are on notice to quit. Many will be going into the council shops in ‘Block D’ the new block next to Catherine Wheel Road but these are not quite ready yet mainly because some of the utilities are taking a long time (what was I saying about 14 years?). Emma and I were invited to have a look around next week which will give us a better idea of what’s there.

We followed up a couple of issues we were aware of. Both of us worked on the corner between Windmill Road and the Great West Road, where the developers have not fixed the pavement or the ‘garden’. as promised. The pictures don’t really show how bad it is, I have raised it again with the planners but must get it fixed now.

As for the ‘garden’ it will take a long time to challenge Kew. Or even the planters on Whitestile Road.

Emma was off to Whitestile Road to resolve some other issue.

Today I had a free day, though I should mention my attempts to help some small traders who were being evicted from what we tend to call Max Factor, after the original occupiers of the offices next to the Watermans centre. It has been an absolute fiasco, and I visited pretty well every day to provide some moral support and sometimes a bit of practical help. There were big arguments, police attending saying ‘Police with Tasers’ and I believe an assault – not on anyone I was working with, thank the lord. I think this is resolved for now, but at least one long term Brentford person has had to move her stuff miles away to find another ‘home’. It grieves me terribly because these are the kind of businesses I want to drive the emergence of a new Brentford with local artists and artisans. Not much good if they have left. Also I read there has been a lot of damage done inside the Watermans centre to add to the mild fire damage. I was once determined to revive the building to house some of these people, at least temporarily, but it’s more remote now than ever.

Oh, last night I visited the Lord Nelson with Brentford Voice. I told one of the excellencies who had his chair in the way that I would call him Cadent, in honour of our lovely gas grid provider who likes to block roads. Busy night, even with immigrants from Osterley.

Actually our road blocker this weekend is SSE who are thoughtfully closing Windmill Road near the junction with the GWR to put some extra flex in the ground.

This weekend we have the Summer Bandstand at Watermans Park. I’m told Taylor Swift might be there, but better still we have some local stars confirmed, includi ng I think include some of Mandolin Jack, Rob Marshall, Gareth Haze, Elaine Samuels, Steve Hutchinson, Marky Dawson, Myriam Cavelli, Kate Bushra and Ed Hopwood.

I hope to see some of you there.

Councillor Guy Lambert