No special treatment given to junkies... or councillors

Feb 14 2008

I write in response to the letter on the council’s housing allocation policy from ‘Worried Mother’ published in last week’s Advertiser.

The letter was clearly heartfelt, if somewhat misinformed. The problems generated by anti-social behaviour, drug misuse in particular, are a fundamental challenge for all of us in the public sector and elsewhere striving to ensure our communities are safe and secure.

Nonetheless, it is important that I address a few popular misconceptions regarding council housing allocation policy.

Firstly, the council do not use houses specifically to house people with drug problems. In furtherance of statutory duties, we do maintain a number of houses for the use of homeless persons but, in three of the five streets highlighted by the correspondent as examples of ‘houses for drug addicts’, the council have no homeless accommodation.

Secondly, no account is taken of the proximity of councillors’ homes (or any other group of named individuals) in the allocation of council houses, homeless units or otherwise. To do so would be a clear breach of housing legislation, as indeed would the involvement of councillors in individual housing allocations.

In allocating houses, the council are governed by the necessity to comply with the law regarding admission to housing waiting lists and the subsequent allocation of houses.

The same legislation also strictly governs the circumstances in which council tenants can be evicted from their homes.

Finally, I would urge anyone affected by anti-social behaviour not to ‘suffer in silence’ but to contact the council’s helpline on 0800 389 1105.

Jim Hayton, executive director, Housing and Technical Resources, South Lanarkshire Council.