Greenwich Council’s deputy leader accused Green councillors of demonising residents who live in HMOs as plans to restrict the growth of bedsits in the borough went out to consultation.
Jackie Smith hit out amid angry exchanges about the latest consultation into the Local Plan, the borough’s development blueprint for the next 15 years.
Landlords have taken advantage of the lack of any HMO rules in the existing Local Plan to buy up family-sized homes and divide them into bedsits, which councillors are often powerless to resist.
Analysis of council data by The Greenwich Wire shows that there are 1,526 licensed HMOs in the borough – up from 811 this time a year ago.
The new plan will set a minimum size for HMOs of 130 square metres – similar to controls recently introduced in Lewisham. They will also introduce an overconcentration rule banning new HMOs if there are already three existing or permitted HMOs within the nearest ten neighbouring homes – something that both Green and Conservative councillors have said is not strong enough.
A consultation opened on Monday and will last for six weeks after it was approved by councillors at their meeting on July 22.
While the Local Plan covers all forms of development in the borough – and has already caused controversy after Woolwich Dockyard residents found their homes earmarked for possible development without them being told in advance – it was HMOs that dominated the discussion.
Tom Creswell, the cabinet member for planning, said that had the measures been in place for the past three months, no HMO applications would have been approved.
But Tamasin Rhymes, the Green opposition leader and a Shooters Hill councillor, said the updated plan did not “go far enough to allay the multiple concerns that we have heard from residents”, saying that overconcentration policies would have been too weak.
“Yes, it might have stopped the planning applications that would we have seen at planning [committees] so far,” she said.
“But we all know that companies operating HMOs will react to planning [changes] the minute they come in, and so we need to be more forward-thinking and more focused on preventing exactly the sort of abuse of that system that we have seen so far.
“This is leading to residents being effectively forced to move out of their own homes because they can’t deal with the antisocial behaviour that is taking place on their doorstep, and that, for me, is a huge concern. The scale of what we have seen over the last year or two in the rise in HMOs suggests that this just does not go far enough.”
David Monteith, a Green councillor for Plumstead Common, said that while Creswell had referred to antisocial behaviour in town centres, “it is my experience from talking to my residents that they are actually more concerned about the antisocial behaviour in the HMOs on the streets on which they live”.
Labour’s cabinet member for finance and resources, Rachel Taggart-Ryan, said that house-shares had been around “for as long as anyone can remember” and that she had lived in an HMO after leaving university.
“I want to caution members in this chamber from the sort of language that we are sort-of hearing and the implications — forcing people out of their homes because they are living next to people who are sharing a property, or the saturation of people on lower incomes coming together,” the Middle Park & Horn Park councillor said.
“You also represent the residents who live in HMOs, and there is a kind-of pushing of a narrative which is demonising people of lower means who are not able to afford the local rents.”
Jessica Holland, a Green councillor for Charlton Hornfair, referred to testimony in Peter Apps’ book Homesick of overcrowded HMOs and to a fire in one close to her home that she said had spread throughout the building after being caused by an e-bike.
“This is not from a classist perspective or from a racist perspective — it’s out of concern that those poorly-managed sites don’t proliferate,” she said.
Charlie Davis, the Conservatives’ deputy leader and an Eltham Town councillor, said Labour councillors had been saying “yes it is” during Holland’s contribution, her first in a council meeting since being elected in May.
“It is absolutely disgraceful,” he said. “I think the Labour Party need to reflect on their behaviour and understand that this is a very serious situation for residents across this borough who don’t want to see family homes being lost, and want to see this council doing more.”
But Smith responded to Davis: “I think the point that was made earlier is completely lost on you.
“People living in HMOs are also our residents,” she said. “I’m not accusing anyone of anything, but it sounds very much like if you’re a middle-class flat share, you’re fine. If you’re poor, you’re not. And if you’re poor, you have to be guilty of bad behaviour. That’s the narrative we’re hearing over here.”
Smith, who was 50 votes away from losing her seat in Woolwich Arsenal to the Greens at the election in May, clashed with Monteith, who shook his head as she spoke. She insisted that overcrowded HMOs would not be allowed in Greenwich and should be reported.
“I introduced the licensing scheme. If you and your residents are not finding that OK, then use your power as the councillor and bring it to the cabinet member, who will make sure it’s dealt with,” she said.
“There is a narrative going around that somehow the council and its deployment of people in temporary accommodation are causing the proliferation of HMOs.
“I can tell you here and now that only 3.5 per cent of people that are in temporary accommodation are in HMOs. I know it was being pushed in the election that the council were paying landlords to do it. There’s been one grant in the last three years to a landlord to deal with an HMO. That’s a fact. It’s an absolute fact.
“That was actually in order to make sure that people leaving care were able to seek accommodation. That’s why we made that grant to a reputable organisation that is giving us the secure places in that accommodation and is being managed perfectly OK.”
Creswell – who himself was only elected in Abbey Wood in May – tried to take a more conciliatory tone, saying what he had heard from Green and Conservative councillors was “very concerning, because I agree with them where they say family homes need to be protected”.
But he added: “When opposition members start talking about university students not being the issue, but Deliveroo drivers with e-bikes that might cause overcrowding being the issue, that concerns me very much.”
An earlier consultation into the Local Plan led to changes in the minimum sizes for new HMOs. After this consultation, which ends on September 6, the plan will be scrutinised at public hearings led by a planning inspector before a final decision is made.
The Local Plan consultation can be found at communityconversations.royalgreenwich.gov.uk.
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