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Council investigates ‘sub-standard’ temporary accommodation claims by London MP
Croydon Council has said it is investigating housing conditions at a hotel it uses for temporary accommodation after the shadow communities secretary claimed that the living arrangements for those staying there were “sub-standard”.
Steve Reed, shadow communities secretary and MP for Croydon North, voiced his concerns about the Gilroy Court hotel in Thornton Heath after speaking to women who were staying there.
Mr Reed said: “I’m very worried about sub-standard conditions inside Gilroy Court after speaking to women who were placed there with their children.
“They tell me they and their children are forced to share beds, there is very little access to washing machines, the hotel managers have turned off the wifi so their children can’t take part in schoolworks, and there are no outside play spaces.”
He added that he was “staggered” anyone would be left in conditions like these, particularly vulnerable families during a health crisis.
Mr Reed said he wants Croydon Council to “take immediate action against the owners if they have breached the terms of their contract”.
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Jane Avis, cabinet member for homes and gateway services at Croydon Council, said that the local authority is investigating concerns raised about Gilroy Court “as a priority”.
“If we find the standards we expect at Gilroy Court are not being followed then we will take appropriate action,” she added.
A representative from the London Hotel Group (LHG), which owns Gilroy Court, said that it has been unable to carry out inspections of every unit as a result of COVID-19, but that it carried out a full inspection after it was made aware of the concerns last Tuesday.
All identified issues have now been rectified or are scheduled to be rectified, the spokesperson said.
On the point of bed sharing, the spokesperson said that the council is aware of bed configuration at the time of booking, but that it will now ask all current and future guests if they would like to have their bed configuration changed.
They said that the hotel has a laundry room that has been closed since 15 January for refurbishment, adding that LHG hopes it will reopen within the next few days.
LHG said it is also looking into installing wifi, which it said has never been provided as part of this temporary accommodation site.
The hotel group has also agreed to reopen the green space at the front of the hotel to provide children with somewhere to play. The space has been closed for almost a year in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Research by homelessness charity Shelter recently revealed that more than a quarter of a million people are currently living in temporary accommodation in England, the highest figure for 14 years.
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