Families 'forced' to relocate from London to as far as County Durham in 'national crisis', says MP

Some London councils are "choosing to break the law" by "secretly relocating families" to be housed hundreds of miles from the city, MPs have been told.

Grahame Morris, Labour MP for Easington in County Durham, said families in his constituency had been rehoused there from London and felt they were "forced" to move or face homelessness.

During an adjournment debate, he said the issue "reflects not just a housing crisis, but a crisis of fairness, compassion and accountability".

Mr Morris told the Commons: "The unlawful actions of some London borough councils has transformed an issue of homelessness in London into a national crisis, and one that has now reached directly into my constituency.

"In recent months, I've been made aware of multiple cases of vulnerable families being pressured into relocating to my constituency by London boroughs such as Redbridge, Hillingdon and Enfield.

"These families are being forced to choose between homelessness in London or moving hundreds of miles away, isolated from their communities and support networks."

Mr Morris highlighted the case of a young mother, who he said felt "scared" and "completely pushed into a corner" by her council in London to take accommodation further afield.

He said: "People should be able to trust their local authority to provide advice and support, but what do they find? A system where families, in some cases, are being threatened and intimidated, pressured to make impossible, life-changing decisions in a moment of profound vulnerability."

The member for Easington said the action is "unlawful" because councils have a statutory duty to house people within their local area and to notify the relevant local authority if they need to relocate.

He said: "There's nearly a decade of press articles documenting cases of some London boroughs breaking the law and secretly relocating families.

"I want to thank the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) for writing to council chief executives to remind them of their legal obligations.

"But I must be candid, and I contend that council chief executives know their legal responsibilities, and they are choosing to break the law. What we need is enforcement and accountability."

Mr Morris concluded: "The unlawful system of forcibly relocating vulnerable families through threats and intimidation was created by the previous government. Now I'm asking, I'm pleading with the minister tonight, not to allow that to persist under a Labour Government."

Responding, housing minister Rushanara Ali said it is "an absolute scandal" that families with children are living without a permanent home.

She said: "It's even more distressing that many of these families, as (Mr Morris) has pointed out poignantly, are forced to live away, move away from the area that they know, from their friends, from their families, from their schools, healthcare providers.

"This is the scale of the challenge we have inherited from the previous government, but we are absolutely determined to address this and deliver the long-term solutions that are desperately needed."

The minister said the Government is committed to achieving 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, and had put an extra half a billion pounds into the Budget for the affordable homes programme.

Ms Ali continued: "The Deputy Prime Minister has already contacted local authorities and we will continue to keep under review what local authorities are doing, and I commit to working with (Mr Morris) to make sure that we support local authorities as much as we can."

She told MPs that "the supply of housing is crucial if we are to bring an end to the plight of those who are facing homelessness and who are having to live in temporary accommodation and being moved away from the places that they call home", and later added: "If we don't tackle the root causes of homelessness, then we will continue to have these debates."

Ms Ali, the MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, later said: "As a London MP, of course, we are very concerned to make sure local areas have the accommodation available to keep those in temporary accommodation close by to their networks and support structures."

Have you heard The Trapped? Listen as Daniel Hewitt exposes the UK's dirty secret