News / Barton House
Will Greens fulfil their election pledges of rehousing Barton House residents?
Questions remain over whether the Greens will fulfil their election pledges on rehousing Barton House tenants suffering trauma after the evacuation. Hundreds were evacuated from the tower block 13 months ago, then returned in February, but many still wish to be relocated elsewhere.
Before the local elections in May, the Greens promised to give residents of Barton House “band one priority”, in the system used to assign new social housing.
HomeChoice puts people hoping for a new home into four bands, with people given less priority often made to wait several years.
is needed now More than ever
The Greens largely took control of Bristol City Council in May, including chairing the housing policy committee which is responsible for the HomeChoice system.
But over seven months later, Barton House tenants are still waiting, and one 12-year-old girl recently begged to be rehoused.
Barton House was evacuated in 2023 over safety concerns – photo: Karen Johnson
Speaking to Bristol 24/7, Green councillor Tony Dyer, leader of the council, said: “Since [the election], officers have engaged with residents of Barton House and their representatives to understand their requests and councillor Barry Parsons, chair of the housing committee, will be getting a briefing on the options available from officers in the coming weeks, which will be shared.
“We have over 21,000 households on the waiting list for housing, and around 1,500 households in temporary accommodation. While I fully sympathise with the trauma that the evacuation caused, we must also balance the needs of all those in desperate need of accommodation.
“Councillor Parsons has previously said that we need to investigate the events leading to the evacuation and learn the lessons, but is currently prioritising fixing the urgent failures in our council homes identified by the Regulator of Social Housing.”
The residents and ACORN were also seen protesting against the housing crisis inside Barton House in November 2023 – photo: Mia Vines Booth
ACORN, the community union that represents many people living in Barton House, has repeatedly called for tenants to be given higher priority and an investigation into the evacuation. Green councillors have also pressed for an investigation to take place.
But the housing department faces several other serious problems. Earlier this year, a government watchdog identified a huge backlog of safety checks and repairs on the thousands of council homes in Bristol. These repairs and checks are costing a fortune, and mean that other work, such as building new homes, has had to be scaled back.
Councillor Dyer added: “The housing crisis was not created by local government but is a result of systemic failure by successive governments to take decisive action. This includes providing local councils like Bristol with the necessary funding and power to provide all of our residents with the type of homes they need and deserve.
“The new Labour government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over the next five years. We look forward to hearing how they will empower local councils to ensure that the homes provided meet the needs of all of our residents.”
Next steps on Barton House should become clearer in the new year. Council officers will brief councillor Parsons, as well as the two local councillors in Lawrence Hill, on what options there are to give tenants higher priority.
Main photo: Karen Johnson
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