CYC Executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods Cllr Helen Douglas blasted York Central MP Rachel Maskell for what she called “inaccurate and misleading” statements regarding homeless numbers and rough sleepers made in the House last week.
Cllr Douglas said "Yet again Ms Maskell has made what I can only conclude are wilfully inaccurate statements about homelessness and housing numbers in York to Parliament in what appears to be an ongoing attempt to discredit the city's excellent record on addressing this complex problems. I know that her staff have obtained detailed and accurate information from the council regarding these numbers and yet she continues to misrepresent them for her own publicity purposes. She is using people in difficulties as political pawns which I believe is reprehensible.
The council’s statistics tell a much different tale:
As of 31 March 2018 47 families in temporary accommodation are at their lowest point in 30 years.
90 families are currently accepted as homeless which is below the target set of 100 and 7 less than accepted last year.
No families are in B&B as of the end of March.
Work has started on James House, the new hostel for the homeless with 57 units ready by January 2019.
The level of rough sleeping has increased, but this is a national trend and renewed emphasis has been placed on addressing this with the new strategy that will go to the Executive in June
Equally she has mentioned residential homes closing and the provision only 27 new units, but fails to mention the work that is going on in the private sector and our residential plans for Lowfields and Burholme and the extension of Marjorie Waite Court with 33 new units.
"Does Ms Maskell think she can get away with saying anything she likes in Westminster and that local people don't follow what goes on? Or does she just get so carried away with her image of Labour as the only party which can possibly care about these issues that she ignores the truth?
"If Ms Maskell really wants to understand the full circumstances in York, perhaps she would like to spend a day with our council teams who work long hours to help those in housing distress, rather than criticise from the gilded heights of an MP's office."