Protesters storm council meeting over housing crisis

A woman, who was living in an overcrowded hostel with her child, turned down a home close to her domestic abuser

Protesters stormed a council meeting to demand justice for a woman and her child they say was left homeless when she turned down a home near her abuser.

Monday's protest was part of an ongoing row over a temporary hostel owned by Newham Council in the Stratford area.

Campaign group Focus E15 described it on behalf of the woman, and others living there, as being in a "shoddy, unsuitable, overcrowded building".

The mayor of Newham said the borough had a "traumatising" housing crisis.

At the start of Newham Council's full council meeting on Monday, the protesters entered the Old Town Hall in Stratford to demand justice for the unnamed domestic violence survivor and her child, and other families living in the temporary social housing on Victoria Street, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

One protester criticised the council for "not respecting people as human beings" during the interruption.

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They shouted: "This is not housing justice, this is not respecting people as human beings, who are already [living in] overcrowded accommodation in Victoria Street where people are forced to share beds - children and adults.

"That is what's happening and if they say no to a property that is not safe and not suitable."

The protester was cut off by the chair of the meeting, councillor Winston Vaughan, who said: "Thank you very much for that but you're interrupting the meeting - please will you not interrupt the meeting and will you kindly take a seat please."

Further shouts could be heard from the back of the hall as protesters said: "What will it take to give us houses?"

Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz says the borough is experiencing "the most spectacular, traumatising" housing crisis it has ever faced

After the meeting was adjourned for a few minutes, the mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, stood on stage and responded to the protesters.

She said Newham's temporary housing budget was "over-blowing".

Ms Fiaz said: "Before I start my announcement for this evening, I did want to address the comments and the trauma that we have heard from the group of residents that currently reside in Victoria Street and I want to give you this assurance.

'Spectacular housing crisis'

"Every single month and over the past eight months, myself and the cabinet member for housing services have been holding meetings with all residents and we are progressing with our plans to decant families with children from Victoria Street."

She added: "We will be housing families with children in appropriate accommodation but I have to say this, we are in the midst of the most spectacular, traumatising housing crisis this borough has ever faced.

"In the previous 12 months there has been a reduction in housing supply by some 47%, our temporary accommodation budget is over-blowing.

"We want families with kids to be living in safe, habitable, healthy properties and we demand, we campaign and we want housing justice for our people but we've got to ensure that there's equity and fairness for everyone because we have over 37,000 people on our housing waiting list, not just in temporary accommodation."

Ms Fiaz said it would be unfair to put families ahead of people who had been waiting longer on the council's waiting list for homes and said "every single family in Victoria Street has had every single opportunity to email me directly or email the cabinet member for housing services".

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