Bring Housing Back into Use Ashford!

It's time to stop crying out about council housing lists and start lobbying Ashford Borough Council to bring empty homes up to standard.

In recent weeks, I have been contacted by a number of residents in Ashford complaining of overcrowding in Council Accommodation. One woman, a widow of a Gurkha Veteran, resides with her two children in a house with 8 other people.This is a four bedroom house.

I know a couple in a neighbouring ward who live in a one bed flat with their child who is over a year old.

Yet opposite me, there is a two bedroom house which stands empty and has done for the three years I have resided here.

Ashford Borough Council consider that housing is overcrowded if there are children present over the age of 1 year without a bedroom.

Yet these people are living in overcrowded conditions due to insufficient housing resources in Ashford. This is in spite of Ashford having a large portfolio of 5000 homes. Unfortunately, the large borough indicates they also have around 2 years of waiting lists for accommodations.

Yet figures from government's Communities and Local Government Department show Ashford has 1160 properties which are empty because of disrepair.

This is unbelievable when we have a huge population of 112,000. In light of job cuts and austerity measures, it is now more important than ever to get these 1160 properties up to scratch for those in dire housing.

I welcome Communities Minister Andrew Stunell's news showing more money is now available for bringing these properties into use again.

Ashford Borough Council can no longer claim financial hardship as an excuse for poor housing maintenance and to justify empty properties around the borough.