Housing Allowance changes and homelessness in Hackney

New research released by Shelter shows that Hackney will be one of the worst affected areas of the country by the proposed cuts in Housing Allowance.

Figures show that Hackney is in the top 20 worst affected local authorities in the country. Households in Hackney living in a 3-bedroom flat or house would be £113 worse off under the changes being proposed. This would result in families being forced to move and threatens an increase in the number of people presenting themselves as homeless to the council.

Nationally, the research - undertaken by the University of Cambridge - shows that 134,000 households will either be evicted or forced to move when the cuts come in next year and an an estimated 35,000 will approach their local authorities for housing assistance.

You can read more here.

121 Mortimer Road

You may have seen some work going on at 121 Mortimor Road, the house of William Lyttle - often known locally as the Mole Man.

Relatives of Mr Lyttle have come forward and are now legal owners of the house. They have started to perform some work upon the house and are seeking permission to demolish it.

Separately the are also seeking planning permission for a block of flats in its place. You can see more details of what is being proped here. The development is described in the planning application as "a four storey building to provide eight two-bed flats".

A number of residents have already been in touch with us about the work that is ongoing, and we are monitoring developments with the help of council officers. The house sits within the De Beauvoir Conservation Area and this will have to be taken into account when the applications are considered.

If you wish to make a representation on the planning permission proposal, comments from members of the public need to be submitted the the Council by October 25th. The reference for the planning application is 2010/2137.