SIGH.
Listeners of my podcast will know that earlier this year, the then-Labour Hackney council was trying to evict an 8 year old disabled boy and autistic boy, and his family from their council home with bailiffs.
The Greens took the family’s side before the May local elections. They even turned up at an eviction resistance to defend the family when bailiffs came to evict the family in February.
Now, the Greens are in power – and the council is going to evict the family next week.
So much for a change of direction. You can hear the tale here in my latest podcast episode:
The really big problem at councils is that officers – senior housing staff – have too much power. Sir Humphrey – eat your heart out.
You get staff who’ve been around for years and who know the law, and who use every trick in the book to crush poor families.
Then you get novice councillors elected who do not know the law, or the minutiae of it, or how to use it to fight back. They need to learn and fast.
Elected councillors need to learn to stand up to housing officers. Not a lot will change until that happens.
I think everyone knows that Council Officers run Hackney Council.
Labour Councillors welcomed the opportunity to sit back and not do anything “difficult” and in return get a few photo ops for their favourite group of people. Young trendy incomers with more money than sense. Making Hackney like a sea side resort where those with money have totally distorted priorities, and left long term residents as irritating obstruction to their vision of Hackney as Ibiza.
The scarf fiasco shows how even when officers get things wrong they all close ranks and support each other.
And the Green Councillors had every right to say its not your decision, and you certainly dont allow a political campaign group to dictate policy to a council.