Plans to Move 81 Families to Chatham do not meet with universal approval. Newham Accused of People Dumping.

In the Halcyon days of opposition, Rohsana Fiaz did not have to worry about the consequences of opposing the policy of rehousing Newham applicants outside of London. It sounded like the socialist thing to do; people should be housed locally, or so the argument ran.

The bitter truth has shown itself again. Newham has just completed a deal to rehouse 81 families from Newham, in a former family court building that had previously been earmarked for asylum seekers.

Local reaction has not been entirely positive with residents asking why Medway’s homeless families are not being offered the opportunity. Cllr Adrian Gulvin, leader of Medway Council’s Conservative Group is quoted in Kent OnLine: "I want to make it absolutely clear that in no way am I personally attacking these families who are being moved to Medway, but what we are seeing is people dumping”.

In the same post, Cllr Naushabah Khan (Lab), who is portfolio holder for housing and property on Medway Council, said they had not been informed of the decision to house people from London. Apparently, she was “deeply frustrated and concerned that Anchorage House, an office block in Chatham, is going to be used for temporary accommodation purposes by another local authority.

"This will undoubtedly place significant pressure on local services including schools, infrastructure and council services.”