Policy in Practice

At lunchtime today I waved my hand to gain access to a community, five minutes later that community voted me down. Yet rather than harbouring anger it’s only frustration and desperation I feel. At thirty four I feel it’s time to buy my first property; rent is not an efficient use of salary when my pension is already behind. However, a move from Birmingham to Brighton has filled me with trepidation. In Birmingham I could buy a three bedroom house for less than £150,000 but in Brighton I’d be lucky to get a studio apartment. Therefore, I've been looking for more creative ways to stay a Brightonian. Brighton and Hove has no tangible policies to help people stay in the city, despite supply being at an all time low. Local plans are not supportive of self-build and neighbourhood planning is becoming preclusive. Brighton is in a perpetual state of investor and renter. That’s why when I found a plot of land at auction that could fit one very small home I jumped at the chance. The ...

The Aston Arena has been given its eviction notice; a    large charity, two schools and two private clubs have  been given 20 days to vacate with no measures put in   place to rehouse them. While the closure has caused community anger the impact of not rehousing these organisations will have a negative community impact. The Charity, Gilbert Deya Ministries, works with the most deprived in the area and acts as a referral service as well as community centre; while the two schools, Aspire Learning Academy and Omar Partners, have very strong links with the Pakistani and Somali community, two community groups with very low   educational attainment and are seen as difficult to reach. Despite both Birmingham City Council and the HCA having strong property portfolios they have not worked  together in any way to accommodate these imperative community groups, or search for storage until decisions are made. Birm...