- Leader of the Council admits he “wouldn’t have thought” a two-week eviction notice for council residents is acceptable – despite Grange Farm residents receiving only
two weeks’ notice to leave their homes - Routine Councillor question embarrasses Tory administration as they are forced to
admit failure to “put residents first” - The Leader of the Council shut down the debate to save the Tory Portfolio Holder from further
embarrassment
Residents of Grange Farm estate, including single-parent families with young children, were issued with eviction notices on November 6th and told to leave their homes on November 21st. These residents were expected to leave without any information from the Council about offers of accommodation or financial support with relocating, leading them to fear homelessness or relocation far outside the borough, despite having children in local schools.
After speaking with Grange Farm residents at a ward surgery this week, Labour Councillor Eden Kulig asked Mina Parmar, Portfolio Holder for Housing, an urgent question about an eviction notice served to two families on the Grange Farm estate in her Harrow on the Hill Ward. This eviction notice was served to two mothers with very young children, who have been left with a mere two weeks to pack up and relocate.
The Portfolio Holder was forced to apologise for the paltry notice period given to these families, before rowing back with the frankly appalling statement that “nothing in Grange Farm is permanent”, suggesting that all residents of the estate should be primed for a sudden and brutal change of circumstances at the Council’s whim.
Before she could continue, however, the Leader of the Council, Cllr Paul Osborn, stepped in to castigate Cllr Kulig for asking a question on a particular case, quoting GDPR risks as justification. Despite protests from Labour Councillors and the Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr David Perry, Cllr Osborn insisted that he
would not allow the Portfolio Holder to answer the question in full.
Cllr David Perry, Leader of the Harrow Labour Group, said:
“While Cllr Osborn maintained that he shut down this debate, and his own Portfolio Holder, as he did not want to discuss individual cases in a public forum, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that the Leader of the Council was forced to step in to save Cllr Parmar and his administration from further embarrassment. Labour Councillors ask questions at Cabinet to stand up for our residents, so it’s frankly ridiculous for Cllr Osborn to claim that this was not the forum for asking such a question on behalf of residents. Indeed, with the current response rate of the Council, it seems asking a public question to Cabinet is the only way residents can have their questions answered.
It was clear to everyone in attendance that Cllr Osborn stepped in to shut down the debate to protect his Portfolio Holder from embarrassment over the Council’s failure of residents. The way residents of Grange Farm have been treated, with young families being uprooted with only a fortnight’s notice, makes it clear that, despite their claims to put residents first, in fact the Tory Council are putting residents last.”