Housing
Recent News
G4S, a security company contracted to provide housing for asylum seekers, has threatened to evict a tenant in Leeds because of rent arrears that the company owes but refuses to pay.
Lu Smith has been awarded damages for police detention after being arrested in 2011 while protesting against the eviction of Travellers from Dale Farm.
The last remaining Gypsy family living on a site in Meriden is set to leave the premises ahead of an eviction deadline after losing a legal fight to stay on the grounds.
Campaigners rallied outside Glasgow Sherriff Court in an attempt to block an attempt to evict asylum seekers housed by Y People in preparation for the handover of housing contracts to Serco, a private security company.
Around forty Gypsies living on land that they own have been served with a 48-hour eviction notice by the Royal Borough of Windsor after failing to secure permission for the site.
The IRR’s free weekly email on race and refugee issues.
Eric Pickles has announced that councils will be given further powers against Gypsy and Traveller sites that breach planning guidelines, including the use of temporary stop notices and unlimited fines.
Travellers have received a bill of £4.3million for the cost of evicting themselves from the Dale Farm site in 2011. The council have said action may be taken to seize the land on Dale Farm if the Travellers do not pay.
Local authorities have criticised the government for forcing refused asylum seekers into destitution, making life ‘increasingly uncomfortable’ following the rejection of their asylum claims.
David Cameron is due to announce new proposals that will prevent EU nationals from claiming most benefits unless they have been continuously looking for work.
The IRR’s free weekly email on race and refugee issues.
A G4S senior executive has admitted that the company is struggling to fulfil its contractual obligations to house asylum seekers. Hundreds of people had to be moved into council housing last year after the company failed to accommodate them.
IRR News continues its discussion with A. Sivanandan about Miliband’s policies.
The IRR’s free weekly email on race and refugee issues.
Meriden gypsies are awaiting approval for a plan which seeks permission to allow only two families to remain on a site near Eaves Green Lane, which has previously been rejected.
The Birmingham Law Centre has lodged a judicial review of regulations which allow the government to prevent some ‘non-EU parents’, whose children are EU citizens, from accessing housing or financial support.
The IRR’s free weekly email on race and refugee issues.
The government’s recent planning policy developments are set to ‘make things worse for the poorest Gypsies and Travellers’.
A report into G4S’s takeover of asylum housing has found that the takeover has had disastrous consequences for asylum seekers, including having to endure delays of up to 6 months to be housed.
Community leaders have warned that the government’s welfare changes in April 2013 will disproportionately affect BME communities and lead to a rise of homelessness in Croydon.
Since the start of the year, there have been at least four suspected racially motivated attacks on residents at the Balseskin reception centre for asylum seekers in the Finglas area of Dublin.
Basildon Borough Council has approved plans for a 15-pitch site that will be allocated to Travellers in ‘most need’, and may include some of those evicted from Dale Farm last year.
Community councillors in Scotland have accused Gypsies and Travellers of self-segregation, claiming that the younger generations have a ‘chip on their shoulder’.
The Department for Education is currently consulting on proposals to bring Traveller parents in line with other parents whereby they can be prosecuted for their child’s non-attendance at school.
Feb 21 2013
Spotlight on racial violence: January-February 2013
An overview of racist attacks and convictions over the last two months.
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