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88% Regina Road residents vote in favour of demolition

Nov 16, 2022

2 year-old Awaab Isaak died because the home he lived in was unfit for human habitation. His parents complained but were ignored. This is not a one-off. Thousands of families are living in awful conditions. This is just some what we’ve found in our 18 month investigation🧵1/16

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“Regina Road gained notoriety in early 2021 when ITV News exposed the horrendous condition in some of the flats, with leaks, damp and black mould among some of the most obvious unsanitary conditions.” Report on the ground by

@InsideCroydon

insidecroydon.com

In a poll result that will surprise no one, the long-suffering residents of Regina Road in South Norwood, who have endured some of the worst housing conditions ever seen in 21st Century Britain, ha…

This was our first report in Croydon which led News at Ten with

@tombradby

and prompted an independent inquiry, a investigation by the Regulator (which found the Council guilty of breaching standards) & led to council bosses being questioned in Parliament

The council flats judged the worst in Britain | ITV News

The pictures, filmed by ITV News at a London tower block, have been described by experts as the worst housing conditions they have ever seen. | ITV National News

Here’s the council press release. As I’ve said before, lots of questions for the council and the GLA, including where tenants will be housed in the meantime and how long the redevelopment of Regina Road will take. croydoncouncil-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/regina-ro

UPDATE: Two years ago I walked into a block of council flats on Regina Rd, Croydon and saw conditions I thought impossible in 21st century Britain. The residents have now voted overwhelmingly in a ballot for the entire estate to be demolished and rebuilt

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Off work for a few days. If you have any stories / issues / tipoffs please email investigations@itv.com or specific housing issues to housingstories@itv.com.

ITV News

@itvnews

May 15

'Why are Brits working full-time still homeless?' In the latest quick-briefing episode, ITV News Investigations Correspondent

ITV News: What You Need To Know

tells

@lucrezianews

what you need to know about the rise of the working homeless in Britain... Listen here:

podfollow.com

A regular podcast from ITV News, with our team of specialist correspondents plus guests providing information and analysis you can trust on the leading stories in the UK and around the world.

ITV News Calendar

@itvcalendar

May 14

The emotional moment Kevin Sinfield carries his friend Rob Burrow over the finish line. Read more here: itv.com/news/calendar/

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This is horrendous.

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Steve Robson

@SteveRobson04

Exclusive: Thought the arrest of @GrahamSmith_ and @RepublicStaff protesters at the King’s coronation was a bit over the top? Meet Alice Chambers, a quiet, 36-year-old Aussie who’s lived in London for about seven years. What happened to her on Saturday is a wild ride.

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A privilege to be nominated for

@TheOrwellPrize

for our

@itvnews

reporting into homelessness and the housing crisis in Britain. So grateful to those people going through the toughest time of their lives for trusting us to tell their stories on TV. It takes enormous courage.

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It’s an honour to be nominated for this year’s Orwell Prize for our investigations into homelessness across Britain alongside such brilliant journalists.

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The Orwell Prizes

@TheOrwellPrize

Congratulations to the finalists for the inaugural Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023! Spanning memoir, reporting, audio, academic research, stories of lived experience and more, together they tell a "shaming story about a crisis across the country." - @arusbridger

KWAJO- Social Housing

@KwajoHousing

Kwajo Tweneboa: ‘Politicians underestimate the impact of housing’

Thank you 👉🏽

@prospect_uk

‘The UK’s Dirty Housing Secret’ A report last year found at least 4.1m homes in England failed to meet minimum standards.

prospectmagazine.co.uk

In two years, he has gone from being a business student to one of the UK’s most effective campaigners. Tweneboa tells Prospect what drives him to take on landlords—and the government

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We know some working people will struggle to ever buy a home. Now we’re seeing working people unable to RENT a home. Record high-rents, fierce competition and a chronic shortage of social housing - it‘ll take years to fix, but there’s little evidence the repairs have even started

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John Percy

@JPercyTelegraph

West Brom are facing financial peril – but they have a plan

West Brom are preparing for another season in the Championship and a tough summer is ahead. Parachute payments have run out and with an absentee owner unwilling to invest, player sales are inevitable - but there is a plan. What the future may hold at #wba

telegraph.co.uk

An absent owner and narrowly missing out on the play-offs are big issues but there is still hope to be found at the Hawthorns

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The govt’s response to our report:

We’re potentially heading for the worst of all worlds - not enough social housing, housing benefit not keeping up with private rents, the number of private lets reducing. ‘Crisis’ is an understatement.

Building a new generation of affordable (social?) homes, even if the govt agreed to do it, would take time. Until then, the state is relying on private landlords to house its citizens, but I’m hearing from landlords that are selling up, some in anticipation of incoming reforms.

Full report plus write-up by

@MayaBowles6

here:

'We're trapped': Homelessness rises among working people in England | ITV News

ITV News' Dan Hewitt speaks to those struggling to find a home while in work. | ITV National News

What needs to be done?

@shelter

say in the short-term govt must unfreeze housing benefit so it’s in line with local rents. Scrapping no-fault evictions, which govt say it will do (eventually). But the big one is building lots and lots of affordable homes, which isn’t happening.

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New data shows a worrying trend. Households living in temporary accommodation in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 have passed 100,000 for the first time in almost 20yrs. We probably need to stop calling it temporary - families are stuck for years - but there now appears to be a shortage even of temp homes.

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Lisa, Lee and their 2 children under 10 are living in a caravan. They moved out of their rented flat when it became too expensive. There’s a 4 year wait on council houses and fierce competition for the v few private rents they can afford. He works full time, she works part-time.

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There’s an alarming trend of people in work becoming homeless. I met Nicole. She works full time as a personal assistant. For the last month she’s moved from B&Bs to hotels and stayed on friends’ sofas after her landlord took her property back. She cannot find anywhere to live.

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Harry Horton

@harry_horton

NEW: Train operator Transpennine Express will not have its contract renewed at the end of May and will be brought under government control.

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Producer:

Cameras: Kenny Fillingham & Paul Bennett Head of Investigations:

@imogenbarrer

Picture editor: Milo-Avalon Garcia

Investigation: Working and homeless. The number of people with a full time job becoming homeless is increasing. People working hard, doing everything right, the victims of a broken housing market. Fewer and fewer homes, higher and higher rent.

'We're trapped': Homelessness rises among working people in England | ITV News

ITV News' Dan Hewitt speaks to those struggling to find a home while in work. | ITV National News

Data is for England. You can read it here:

gov.uk

Tables on homelessness

The latest data tables on homelessness.

A really concerning sign (and an issue we’re investigating) is the growing number of people in work becoming homeless. People with a full-time job needing statutory homeless duty ⬆️ 8.1% to 10,050. People with a part-time job ⬆️ 2.2% to 7,370.

New govt homelessness data out. Worrying trends: 📍72,550 households homeless or threatened with homelessness Oct-Dec 2022, ⬆️ 4.7% on last year 📍Households with children needing statutory homeless duty ⬆️ 14.1% 📍101,300 households in temp accommodation 31st Dec 2022, ⬆️ 5.2%

I understand the government’s long-awaited renters reform bill is being delayed - will no longer be brought forward this week. Could be next week or week after (as also reported in Playbook) but told it will be in the next 2 weeks. Procedural issue I’m told in signing it off.

thank you for keeping this national emergency at the forefront of our minds. Our schools have also helped families in desperate circumstances. ‘The edge’ is absolutely right.

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Apr 30

Life and Debt: Stories from the Edge. ITV at 10:20pm. It was a privilege to make this documentary and give a voice to people feeling the full force of the biggest fall in British living standards on record. Do watch if you can, or catch up on @ITVX

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ITV News Politics

@ITVNewsPolitics

May 3

'Schools are having to become the fourth emergency service for the families they support' MP Holly Lynch references

's 'Life and Debt' documentary on the cost-of-living crisis when asking

@RishiSunak

a question at #PMQs itv.com/news/2023-04-2

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ITN

@itn

May 3

Watch 'Life and Debt: Stories from the Edge' on

@ITVX

. ITV News' documentary by

examines how the cost of living crisis has changed lives across the country.

The people pushed to their limits by the cost of living crisis - Latest From ITV News

Watch the latest from ITV News - Watch 'Life & Debt: Stories from the Edge', an ITV News documentary looking at the true impact the squeeze in living standards is having on people in the UK.

Rachael Williamson

@rachaelwHsg

May 2

Powerful documentary by

on the impact of the #CostOfLivingCrisis Govt support has helped but more is needed. Let's start by calling on political leaders to guarantee #OurEssentials for families on low incomes -> jrf.org.uk/press/90-chari

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Our documentary ‘Life and Debt: Stories from the Edge’ is now on @ITVX. I spent the last 7 months following different families and businesses as they face the biggest fall in living standards on record. Watch here: itv.com/watch/life-and

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What lengths will Brits go to battle soaring costs?

May 2

You can also listen to a podcast I recorded with

@tombradby

on why we made the film and what we found. What You Need to Know is available in all the usual places.

open.spotify.com

Listen to this episode from ITV News - What You Need To Know on Spotify. Britain is experiencing the biggest fall in living standards for 70 years.For many, life is now less about living, but more...

Our documentary ‘Life and Debt: Stories from the Edge’ is now on

@ITVX

. I spent the last 7 months following different families and businesses as they face the biggest fall in living standards on record. Watch here: itv.com/watch/life-and

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Polly Neate

@pollyn1

May 1

A tough watch but fantastic work by

and team. The cost of living crisis came on top of the worsening housing emergency and increased homelessness is the only possible result - unless the government takes action

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Apr 30

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Thank you for this work.

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Daniel this was a brilliant documentary to which you should be very proud which highlights so many vulnerable people that normally are forgotten and left to suffer 👏

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I'm watching this now, and I just, I cannot. I mean I'm in a good place but millions others arent and how have we as a nation allowed ourselves to get here, to be led here really.