Housing Pressures In Wednesfield North

Housing is one of the biggest issues facing this Government, and it is a national issue as very much as it is a local issue here in Wolverhampton. Even though Wolverhampton Homes are very much slimmer in the number of dwellings that they now manage due to the ‘Right to Buy’ legislation, did you know that they still manage 20,692 dwellings across the City?

Here in our Ward of Wednesfield North, the Council owned dwellings have shrunk to a mere 1,250 homes.

I have been progressing a number of cases where residents have appealed to me, for help in finding  a Council owned house, in Wednesfield North.

It is a difficult situation, I am informed that the total number of tenants registered on the housing register to want to live in Wednesfield North is 2,288 at the 1/6/15. Of those living in Wolverhampton Homes , there have been 841 tenants that have indicated that they are wanting to downsize.  This is it is being suggested because of the ‘bedroom tax’ in the main, and 334 of the 841 tenants, actually  registered to down size between April 2014 and March 2015 of this year. This would be because the financial pressure of bed room tax is starting to affect families as the Government Welfare Reforms also start to kick in.

I have been keen to see how many requests WH received from Wednesfield North residents to down size and transfer in this same period. – I can now inform you that during April 2014 and March 2015,there were 20 tenants from the Wednesfield North area registered and indicated they were wanting to downsize.

10462542_715400025192216_4193381832399208680_n Ashmore Park Sign

Ashmore Park sits in the Ward of Wednesfield North.

I think you can see from these housing statistics that WH are under great pressure to maintain and to find homes in difficult circumstances, when new Council homes are not being built in any great numbers. Plus the Right to Buy’ is still valid and legal, and being encouraged by this present Government. The Chancellor has recently suggested that Budgets will be cut by a further 40% on top of the recent Government cuts……Life is going to be difficult for a range of people in this year and coming ones.

Phil Bateman

Phil Bateman is Married to Mary and lives in Wednesfield North. He was a long serving local politician having served previously on the now defunct West Midlands County Council... read more

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