No space, no privacy, no safety – a reader shares their concerns living next door to emergency housing(Credits: Getty Images)
In today’s MetroTalk, a reader shares their experience living next door to emergency accommodation provided by a private landlord. It appears that safety isn’t the only concern for families.
Meanwhile, readers question whether Labour will halt the sale of social housing, allowing it to fulfil its intended purpose of housing those in greatest need. And, following the critical remarks in yesterday’s edition, a reader comes to the defense of Sadiq Khan and ULEZ.
Additionally, another reader recounts the painful experience of watching her mother starve herself to death, where assisted dying would have been more humane.
Share what you think about these topics in the comments.
It’s not just physical harm caused, it’s psychological damage.
Your report of children dying because they are stuck in sub-standard temporary accommodation is not a surprise to me (Metro, Tue).
The house next door to mine was used for emergency housing.
One woman arrived in a taxi straight from hospital where she’d just given birth. She shared a small room with her two children for more than two years.
Her baby was slow to walk, as he only had the narrow space between the two beds in the bedroom to take his first steps.
The baby shared one bed with his mother while his brother slept in the other.
The landlord, as well as locking bedroom windows, locked the back door so the children couldn’t play in the garden, only in the dangerous shared driveway.
It’s not just the physical harm caused, it’s also the psychological damage.
Another mother shared a bedroom with her daughter and teenage son, again for more than two years.
No teenage boy should be forced to share a room with two females, who have to dress and undress in front of him.
There were all sorts of other homeless people staying in the house. Imagine having to share bathrooms and kitchens with men who are suffering with serious mental health issues or who try to take advantage of vulnerable women?
The effect of that on young minds is also not healthy. Does anyone care enough to change this and prevent death and serious health issues? R Wheeler, London
METRO TALK – HAVE YOUR SAY
Let us know what you think…
Start a text with VIEWS followed by your comment, name and where you live to 65700. Standard network charge applies. Or email mail@ukmetro.co.uk Helpline for Views, Rush-Hour Crush and Good Deed Feed: 020 3615 0600.
Remember, you are more likely to be published if you provide your name and location with your
Full T&Cs here. Metro.co.uk is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation. Comments may be edited for reasons of legality, clarity or space.
Labour should have a policy of not selling any social housing
Margaret Thatcher started the selling off of council housing, could Keir Starmer end it? (Picture: Ian Vogler/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Further to your front page on the housing crisis, surely the shortage of social housing is the result of council houses being sold.
What is the point of building social housing when after a few years they are lost to the private sector? Margaret Thatcher’s policy as Conservative prime minister of selling off council houses was short-sighted and has been a disaster.
It must be horrendous for families to be living in temporary accommodation or in the private rental sector with no security of tenure, not knowing when the landlord will tell them to find another place to live.
Labour should have a policy of not selling any social housing in an area when there are people on the housing list. Joe Fitzgerald, Liverpool
31 years of Tory promises – had enough yet?
A reader wonders what future generations will think of us for allowing 31 years of tory government(Credit: EPA)
In support of David (MetroTalk, Tue), whose criticism of the Tory Party was disputed by Paul (MetroTalk, Wed).
The Tories have been in power for 31 of the past 44 years. We should expect to see our country thriving, benefiting from their ability to successfully run our country. However, the reality is very different. All we ever hear from the Tories are promises about how they are going to improve things and how they are going to make our country and our economy great again.
Meanwhile, our public services are in a desperate state, many people are struggling with the increased cost of living, with some relying on food banks.
There is a lack of decent affordable housing, and many people are frustrated and angry at the desperate situation that they find themselves in despite working hard to try to improve their lives.
All of this is happening while the massive gulf between the super-rich and the rest of our society grows wider.
Future generations may wonder how we allowed this system to continue for so long and why it was that so many key workers were among the lowest paid. Roy Thorpe, Manchester
In defence of Sadiq Khan and car ownership as a lifestyle choice
Are cars a necessity when you live in London? (Credits: PA)
Malcolm of Stockport (MetroTalk, Tue) clearly exposes his ‘gammon’ credentials by describing London mayor Sadiq Khan as a ‘sandal-wearing, yoghurt-knitting do-gooder’ who is ‘robbing’ motorists of their hard-earned money.
He also displays his ignorance of London where, unlike many parts of the country, public transport coverage is very (or, at the fringes, relatively) high.
Thus, for the great majority of its residents (although exceptional cases will, of course, exist), being a motorist is very much a lifestyle choice.
The impacts on other cities of car use, meanwhile, justify its discouragement, including by price measures if necessary, as occurs in many other cities worldwide. Adrian (Transport Consultant And Former TfL Planner), Leigh-On-Sea
As Malcolm is in Stockport I can’t imagine Mr Khan’s policies have much direct impact on him but he can rest assured, if he is correct, that the people of London will not back Mr Khan in the upcoming Mayoral elections.
As a Londoner, I hope Malcolm is wrong, because, despite having to deal with an obstructive government, I think Mr Khan has done a pretty good job. David, London
Galloway isn’t that popular in Rochdale
Not everyone is a fan (Credits: Lee McLean/SWNS)
Let’s not get carried away with George Galloway’s election result. Less than 16 per cent of the voting population of Rochdale actually voted for him. Hardly a mandate for this unpleasant self-publicist. John, Buckinghamshire
Prime minister Rishi Sunak goes on about the dangers of extremism. Perhaps he should set an example by sacking extremists in his party such as Liz Truss and Suella Braverman. Roger Smith, Witham
‘My mum begged me to die after her accident’
Would you vote to allow assisted dying? (Credits: Getty Images)
Further to calls for a change in the law to allow assisted dying. Just over three years ago, my 90-year-old mum had a bad fall and injured her neck. She lost any mobility from the neck down.
She spent the last three months of her life like that and begged me to help her die. She even had to ask me to scratch her nose! In the end, she stopped eating and drinking and wasted away.
This was horrendous to see and you wouldn’t let any animal suffer like that. A vote on assisted dying can’t come soon enough. Woodhead, Via Email
‘I still have no taste a year after Covid’
Is there anybody out there who has a remedy to regain their sense of taste and smell after losing them due to Covid? Nearly a year-and-a-half down the line, I still have virtually none.
Neither my GP nor long Covid groups have been able to help. I’m waiting on a hospital appointment but is there someone out there who can help? Mandi, Shoebury
Reparations
If the Church of England is so concerned about injustices committed in the distant past that it has set aside a £100million fund to ‘atone’ for the sin of slavery, why doesn’t it make reparations to the descendants of women who were persecuted by the church and accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake? Leo, Romford
MORE : ‘If Sadiq Khan is serious about clean air for London, the underground needs closing down’
MORE : We moved to London and rented an Airbnb – it was easier than dealing with landlords
.