Shelter UK has reacted with concern to the new Communities and Local Government (CLG) figures showing 565,000 households are now living in overcrowding in UK. This is an astounding rise of 11,000 households from last years figures, with Shelter’s research showing that living in overcrowded housing harms the health of children.
Adam Sampson, chief executive of Shelter said –
‘Its shocking that in the 21st century we are seeing a rise in the number of people trapped in cramped, squalid conditions that have more in common with the Dickensian era than those of a modern nation. The antiquated overcrowding standard hasn’t changed since 1935 and considers kitchens and living rooms as acceptable places to sleep. The Government pledged 2009 would be the year they updated it so it’s more urgent than ever they keep their word.’
These figures are based on the ‘Bedroom standard’, which is used as indicator of occupation density. A standard number of bedrooms is calculated for each household in accordance with its age/sex/marital status composition and the relationship of the members to one another. But updating the standard alone will make no difference to these families unless the Government ensures that more family sized homes are urgently delivered on the ground.
Shelter is the UK’s leading housing and homelessness charity. They operate local solutions which work to improve the lives of both homeless and badly housed people…
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