Dumped 'racist' housing strategy could return to East End

15 May 2008

By Gemma Collins and Ted Jeory

A HOUSING strategy dumped for being "racist" in the 1990s could be brought back to prevent the break up of a new generation of families in London's East End.

The Sons and Daughters scheme, which was scrapped almost 20 years ago after a ruling by the Commission for Racial Equality, could return to tackle the growing need for housing in Tower Hamlets.

The controversial policy, originally overseen in Tower Hamlets by the Lib Dems in the late 1980s, gave priority on the housing list to the children of established East End families.

But it caused uproar after Labour politicians classed it as racist, saying it discriminated against new arrivals from the Bangladeshi community.

When it was axed, it contributed to the 'white flight' phenomenon of traditional families moving away from the East End.

The influential Young Foundation think tank recently said scrapping it had devastating consequences for the "long established white working class community."

But almost two decades on, with a dramatically changed population demographic, a 20,000-plus housing waiting list, and, according to the Town Hall, Bangladeshi offspring particularly unable to find homes near their parents, Labour councillors have had a rethink.

A six-month inquiry by the authority's overview and scrutiny committee found offspring in their 20s now had to move far away to find homes, causing problems for the close family network.

A new 'Sons and Daughters' policy could help solve that, the committee said.

But although former Lib Dem councillors have raised an eyebrow at the return of a policy that was once considered racist and illegal, Labour's Alex Heslop, who led the review, denied bringing it back would be hypocritical.

The new policy would be "non-discriminatory" and help "community cohesion", he insisted.

"The residents will tell you they're worried about their children who cannot afford to live in the locality," he said.

"There is demand for the policy, but we are asking for a non-discriminatory policy so there would be some sort of category for sons and daughters.

"It's a sensitive issue. But we think there is the support for it across the community."

He added: "We are saying to the council have a look at it and do some research and make it work."

The old policy discriminated against the Bangladeshi community because rules stated that families had to have lived in the home for 20 years before they could qualify, Cllr Heslop points out.

But former Lib Dem council leader Eric Flounders denied there had been any qualifying limit.

He added: "They got rid of a perfectly good policy at the time because it was politically convenient to shout 'racism'.

"If it was a bad policy then, why's it good now?"

gemma.collins@archant.co.uk