Town Hall set to agree purchase of 100 ex-council homes as part of efforts to cut lengthy waiting list

Housing chief Cllr Una O’Halloran. Photograph: Julia Gregory

One hundred former council properties could come back in-house to give care leavers, people sleeping rough in Islington, and refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine a roof over their heads.

Council leaders are set to agree to buy the ex-council homes that tenants purchased under the right to buy scheme – as Islington becomes the first council to win funding from the Greater London Authority towards buying the homes with a £20m grant.

The council will also need to borrow £26.3m from its housing revenue account for its share of the cost.

The homes range from having one bedroom to four bedrooms.

The scheme will also include £1.2m funding from the Housing First project to give former homeless people intensive support to settle into their home.

Islington Council is on a mission to increase its housing stock to help cut its lengthy waiting list.

It currently has 1,058 homeless households in temporary accommodation and has housed 200 people over the last year who have lived on the borough’s streets.

It said homeless families have to stay in temporary housing for longer because of a lack of available council and housing association properties, and a 20 per cent increase in the numbers over the past year, which it blames on the cost-of-living crisis and Brexit.

A shortage of homes also means young care leavers spend longer in temporary and supported accommodation, according to a Town Hall report.

Executive member for housing Una O’Halloran said: “The acquisition of these properties will ensure care experienced young adults and homeless households and people fleeing Ukraine and Afghanistan are now provided with good quality accommodation locally in Islington to enhance community wellbeing.”