Councillor’s stark message to our communities: if you’re looking for a council house, we can only offer what is available
Cllr Ahmet Öykener
Where Enfield’s people live
Enfield has lost half its council house stock in the last thirty years and is not building homes fast enough to replenish it.
That was the stark message from the borough’s cabinet member for housing, who is one of Britain’s most senior Turkish Cypriots.
Ahmet Öykener told Londra Gazete in an exclusive interview that the Turkish communities had become accustomed to a certain standard living where they have larger houses and gardens, but that the severe housing shortage meant tenants needed to be realistic.
Enfield is home to the largest number of Turkish-speakers in Britain and many in the community live in social and council homes.
He said: “Times have changed. We have lost 50 percent of our housing stock. The speed of build is not enough to satisfy every applicant. We can only offer what is available.
Mr Öykener was keen to stress Enfield Council did not operate a conventional waiting list where people who sign up will eventually rise to the top of the list and be given a home.
People are given homes based on how urgent their need is, meaning that some people will enter the list at the top and be given a house at once, while others will wait for years without success.
Enfield Council has started telling some people if they are not considered a priority, meaning there has been a dramatic drop from the nearly 7,000 households waiting on the list in November 2012.
But as Londra Gazete went to press on Wednesday there were still 2,569 households waiting for a home in Enfield, and a few hundred houses become available every year. Last year, the council let just 691 homes.
But even as families are placed into homes, more families arrive from other parts of London.
Adding to Enfield’s housing problem is that the borough is forced to sell council houses to occupants at a discount of up to £100,000.
This arrangement under the Right to Buy scheme means the borough loses £23 million a year – which Mr Öykener says could be reinvested in other housing options.
He said he knew many people in the Turkish-speaking communities were looking to move into their first council home or acquire a large one: “The community, particularly Turkish Cypriots, are used to a certain standard of living from Cyprus where they have larger houses and gardens.
“But we need to be realistic. Times have changed. Those who are eligible and have points to start bidding realistically, they have a chance of having a house and being rehoused.
“If they are bidding unrealistically, they risk being disappointed.”