[Reposted from Jun 2014] "Have councils abandoned the poor, searching for economic growth?"

"From Hackney cosying up to the digital elite to regeneration in Southwark – councils risk forgetting they're part of the safety net.

"Some council choices are questionable, such as the displacement of social tenants in Elephant and Castle (below)"

Link to The Guardian

"Is the state abandoning the poor? The hyperbolic question started an interesting debate this week at the Chartered Institute of Housing Conference in Manchester, provoking a backlash against a perceived 'collusion' between the modern public servant and government.

"No, we can't reasonably argue that the state has walked away from the most vulnerable. For all its failings, we do still have a welfare state. A safety net is still set out beneath us, although the corners are becoming threadbare. But can we say the same about social housing?

"Faced with cuts to government welfare reform, the housing sector now stands accused of capitulating to government whims at significant cost to them and, more importantly, to their tenants. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, 'affordable rent' (which in some areas is replacing social rent) risks pushing more families below the child poverty threshold."